


Choice Number 3

by Sylareen



Category: Gantz
Genre: M/M, Romance, Science Fiction, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 10:42:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 57,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9487616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylareen/pseuds/Sylareen
Summary: SPOILER until the end of the manga. Some references to Gantz Osaka. After the Italian mission, Tsuneo Nikaido (the nerd nicknamed Virgin-kun by Gantz) had enough points to revive both Anzu Yamasaki, as he had promised to Kato, and Kyo Hanaki. What will happen between them ? Characters are Tsuneo, Kyo, Yamasaki, Chie, and others in some time. Rated M for Gantz and yaoi.





	1. Choice Number 3

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic about Gantz. I’m French, so if you find any mistake, don’t hesitate to tell me ! I hope you’ll enjoy.
> 
> SPOILER /!\
> 
> This story is about Tsuneo Nikaido, the otaku nicknamed Virgin-kun by Gantz, and Kyo Hanaki, two characters of the Osaka Team. The story differs from the canon because it is known that after the Italian mission, Tsuneo has 135 points and uses them to revive Anzu Yamasaki. But in this fanfic, he got a little more points, and uses them to revive both Yamasaki and Kyo.
> 
> For those who don’t know, Chie is a little girl that appeared in the room (in Osaka) just before the Italian mission. Tsuneo and her were the only ones (from Osaka) participating in this mission.
> 
> Also, I know the Osaka Team may not call their Gantz ‘Gantz’, but since we don’t know the name they use, well I used Gantz.

**Virgin-kun : 205 points. Now to the 100 point menu.**  
  
That was the first thing Tsuneo saw when he opened his eyes. What the… ? Was he back in this room ? The last thing he remembered was his arm being torn off by a statue and the pain… But now, his arm was fine. He opened and closed his fist several times to make sure. The transfer must have begun just after he passed out.  
  
“Ah… It seems like I survived…” he whispered, getting on his feet. He couldn’t believe it. He had survived this ? Really ? So many people were dying, gantzers from all around the world. They were dying without being able to do anything, not even protected by the suits. But he had survived. He gulped. For some reason, he wasn’t relieved at all. And… So many points… 205 points, how was it even possible ? After the Nurarihyon mission, he had had 80 points, which meant he had received 125 points for the Italian mission ? Unbelievable…  
  
“Nii-san, are you kamen rider ?” a small voice asked next to him. He turned and grinned at the little girl. So Chie had survived too, that was wonderful ! And it… it was thanks to him, wasn’t it ?  
  
“Kato… I guess… I’m a little closer to what you are, now…” he sighed, running a hand on his face. Kato… This boy from Tokyo was only 17 years old, exactly like him, but he was really a hero. He had saved his life several times during the Nurarihyon mission, and he had killed the 100-pointer. Even Oka couldn’t do anything, but Kato… Kato had done it. Now, Tsuneo had to fulfil the promise he had made to the Tokyoite. “100 point menu”, he said loudly and clearly to the black sphere, wondering if anything would happen.  
  
The sphere made crackled sounds, and Tsuneo thought it was broken, but finally the text changed and showed the 100 point menu. There were 3 choices. Number one, be freed and have his memories erased. Number two, receive a more powerful weapon. And number three, revive a human being from the memory. Tsuneo already knew this menu from last time, when Kuwabara and the others had chosen to have their memories erased. He knew exactly what to do.  
  
“Number 3… Please revive Anzu Yamasaki.”  
  
A laser ray appeared from the sphere, directed toward the center of the room, and began transferring Yamasaki.  
  
“Ahhh ! What… Nii-san ! What’s happening !” Chie cried, seeking refuge behind Tsuneo’s leg as Yamasaki appeared. Tsuneo couldn’t believe his eyes. It was really working ! Yamasaki ! He felt tears filling his eyes. He… he had seen her die, and now she was here ! Kato would be so happy !  
  
“Ah… What ? I… I survived ?” Yamasaki asked as soon as the transfer was over. She looked at Tsuneo and Chie, incredulous. “You ? And… Where are the others ? Everyone is dead ? And this little girl, who is she ?”  
  
“Nii-san…” Chie moaned, her little hands clung to Tsuneo’s leg.  
  
“Ya… Yamasaki…” He succeeded to say between two sobs.  
  
“What happened to the 100-pointer ?” she asked, still unaware of the situation. “And… And Kato ?”  
  
“Ah… Kato is fine,” Tsuneo answered, wiping his tears away. “He did it, Yamasaki, he… he killed the boss.”  
  
“Really ? That’s wonderful !” she exclaimed, a grin on her lips. “Kato…” Her cheeks turned pink as she whispered his name. “And… And the other ? Everyone is dead ?”  
  
“No, but… I’m sorry Yamasaki, but you were dead. Kuwabara and these girls, I think their names were Miho and Sumiko, they were the only ones to survive, apart from me, and they all chose to be freed. I didn’t have enough points to revive you… But there was this new mission, it was… horrible… And finally I could revive you.”  
  
“Oh… I… I see…” She seemed shocked from the news. “How… How much time has passed ? My son… How much time has he been alone ?”  
  
“It’s been only a few days. This little girl appeared just before this mission,” he explained, putting a hand on Chie’s head, who was still clinging to his leg.  
  
Yamasaki sighed with relief. Only a few days…  
  
“I… You, I don’t even know your name…” she said, her voice cracking.  
  
“Ah… It’s Tsuneo, Tsuneo Nikaido,” he answered, blushing.  
  
“Tsuneo… I… Thank you, Tsuneo !” she cried, bowing deeply in front of him. “Thank you so much !”  
  
“No it’s… it’s nothing, really,” he said, embarrassed. “I… I’ve promised it to Kato, I’ve promised him I would revive you.”  
  
Yamasaki continued to thank him, crying with gratitude. Thanks to him, she would be able to see her son again, and maybe to see Kato again too. Tsuneo assured her that it was nothing, that anybody would have done the same, even if he knew it wasn’t true, since Kuwabara and the others had chosen their own life. He turned his head to the sphere, trying to change subject.  
  
But the screen was back on his name.  
  
 **Virgin-kun : 105 points. Now to the 100 point menu.**  
  
“105 points… But… Didn’t you just revive me ?” Yamasaki asked, incredulous.  
  
“Ah… Yes, I… I had 205 points.”  
  
“So many… You’re really amazing, Tsuneo…” she said, looking at the seventeen year old boy with awe.  
  
“But… What does it mean ? I can… I can go to the 100 point menu again ?”  
  
“It looks like it…” Yamasaki said, as surprised as him.  
  
“Gantz, 100 point menu,” he announced. Indeed, the menu was shown again, and the three choices appeared.  
  
“Amazing…” Yamasaki whistled. “You can be free Tsuneo !”  
  
“Rea… Really ?”  
  
“Yes ! Chose number one ! Don’t worry for the little girl, I’ll… I’ll protect her !”  
  
He could be free ? He really could ? If he chose number one, he would be free, just like Kuwabara ? And he would forget everything ? It would be like nothing had happened ? He thought about Kato, the hero. What would Kato do ? Would he chose freedom ?   
  
“No…” he whispered. “I… I can’t leave…”  
  
“What ? But… why ?” Yamasaki couldn’t believe her ears. “You can be free, you can forget everything, isn’t it awesome ?”  
  
“No, I… Now I have responsibilities…” he answered, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. Was he really doing it ? Was he really sacrificing his own life ? “I have to protect Chie, and you too. I made a promise to Kato.”  
  
“But… But… Don’t do that ! You can be free ! We’ll be fine, don’t worry for us ! You’re… You’re already a hero, don’t sacrifice your life for us… You deserve to be free…” she almost pleaded. But Tsuneo ignored her.  
  
“Please, Gantz, show me the list of humans in your memory,” he said loudly. Again, the sphere emitted crackling and buzzing sounds, but the list appeared. All those faces, entirely covering the screen, it was the list of humans brought back to life by Gantz, and killed during missions. There were so many of them ! With a gulp, he touched the surface of the sphere, wondering how many time has passed since the first victim… How many time has Gantz existed, reviving people and forcing them to kill aliens ? He looked at the last names of the list, people who had died during the Nurarihyon mission.  
  
“Choice number 3. Please revive Kyo Hanaki,” he stated, a knot forming in his throat as he realized he had just renounced to his freedom.  
  
Kyo Hanaki. The boy who had saved his life during the Nurarihyon mission, when he was surrounded by those monsters. Reviving him was the least he could do to thank him.  
  
But nothing happened.  
  
“It’s… It doesn’t work ?” Yamasaki asked.  
  
“G… Gantz ?” Tsuneo repeated, his voice anxious. Why wasn’t it working ? It was already hard renouncing to his freedom, but it couldn’t be for nothing ! “Gantz ! Did you hear me ? I said revive Kyo Hanaki !” he almost shouted, knocking the sphere with his fist. “Gantz, please ! Gantz !”  
  
With a lot of crackling noises, the laser finally appeared, transferring Kyo Hanaki just where Yamasaki had been revived a moment before. Once again, it was a strange thing, seeing him appear like that. Tsuneo had seen him die. He… He had seen him lying in a pool of blood, he had seen his brain completely exposed through his broken skull. And yet, he was there now, as if nothing had happened.  
  
The young man’s eyes widen as he saw the others.  
  
“What the hell ?” he asked, as soon as he could move and talk again.  
  
“Kyo…” Yamasaki said, her hands on the mouth.  
  
“What… what happened ? Where are the others ? And… who is she ?” he asked, pointing at Chie. “I don’t remember her.” He paused, and suddenly seemed to understand. “Wait… Does that mean… Did I… Did I die ? Did you… revive me, Yamasaki ?”  
  
“Ah… No, it’s… It’s Tsuneo, he revived us both. I was dead too,” she explained.  
  
Kyo’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Tsuneo, as his named appeared to be, got enough points to revive two persons ? Wait, was it even possible to revive two persons ?  
  
“You… You revived us both ?” he asked, incredulous. Tsuneo nodded.  
  
“Tsuneo is wonderful !” Yamasaki exclaimed. “He got 205 points ! He sacrificed his freedom to revive us.”  
  
“2… 205 points ?” Kyo was astounded. Even Oka never had so many points in one time. Or at least, not when Kyo was in the room. Maybe before… But 205 points, it was really impressive !  
  
“Well… Th… Thanks, I guess…” he said to Tsuneo, blushing. “Wh… Where are the others ?”  
  
Tsuneo explained again everything he had explained to Yamasaki, how Kuwabara and the others had been freed, that Chie had appeared just before the mission in Italy, and how he had revived them.  
  
“Just a few days…” Kyo sighed after Tsuneo had explained. “It’s strange… It’s the first time two missions are so close. But the rules are changing so fast, I guess things like that will happen…”  
  
“When I was in Italy…” Tsuneo began. “I… I heard some people say that it was the last mission…”  
  
“What ?!” Yamasaki and Kyo shouted at the same time. “Is… Is it true ? The last mission ?”  
“I don’t know…”  
  
They all turned to Gantz, in hope to get some information. Again, the screen had come back on Tsuneo’s nickname and picture.  
  
 **Virgin-kun : 5 points. Finished.**  
  
“F… Finished ?” he asked, not understanding.  
  
“Finished, really ?” Kyo said.  
  
“That… Does that mean… that you are free ?” Yamasaki asked. The three of them were astonished.  
  
Soon, the screen changed, showing Chie’s picture.  
  
 **Little Girl : 0 point. Cries too much, depends completely on Virgin-kun. He’s not your mom, haha. Finished.**  
  
“Finished…” Tsuneo repeated. He turned to the little girl, who was too impressed to say anything. “It’s wonderful Chie ! You’ll be free !”  
  
“F… Free ?  I don’t understand… I want my mama…” she began crying. Yamasaki kneeled next to her, trying to comfort her.  
  
“Don’t worry sweetheart, you will see your mommy soon…”  
  
“Ah ! Yamasaki !” Tsuneo called, watching the sphere. Yamasaki turned to watch it.  
  
 **Cutie : 0 point. Glad to see you back, but you were pretty stupid… Finished.**  
  
“Finished too !” she said, ignoring Gantz’s comment.  
  
“Are we all free then ?” Tsuneo asked.  
  
The screen changed once more.  
  
 **Junky : 0 point. Lol why did you die ? Did you enjoy yourself ? Loser ! Finished.**  
  
“Tsk…” Kyo uttered, cringing.  
  
“It seems like we’re all free…” Yamasaki said. “Is that really true ? We… We will never be called in this room again ?”  
  
“I don’t know… I hope it’s really over…” Tsuneo answered, adjusting his glasses. The message on the sphere disappeared and it turned off. Now the door should be opened.  
  
“We… We can go back home now,” Yamasaki said, getting on her feet.  
  
“Ah, wait, Yamasaki !” Tsuneo called, blushing. “Can you… Can you take Chie with you ?”  
  
“Eh ? But I think she prefers you,” she answered. Indeed, Chie was still clinging at Tsuneo’s leg, crying.  
  
“But… I can’t bring a little girl at home, what would my parents say ?” he explained, embarrassed. “Tomorrow I can search for her mother, but tonight I can’t bring her home. And you… You’re an adult, you live on your own, right ?”  
  
“I understand… Ok then. I can’t let this little girl alone.” She leaned to face the girl and smiled. “Do you want to come with me Chie ? We will find your mom tomorrow.”  
  
Chie snorted, wiped her tears away, and looked at Tsuneo with interrogative eyes. He tried to smile encouragingly and pushed her slightly toward Yamasaki.  
  
“Nii-san…” Chie pleaded.  
  
“It’s alright, don’t worry,” he said with a smile. “She will take care of you, and you will see me again tomorrow.”  
  
With that, Chie accepted to let go of his leg, and Yamasaki took her in her arms.  
  
“Thank you Yamasaki.”  
  
“Ahaha don’t thank me ! You’ve saved me, it’s the least I can do !”  
  
They exchanged their phone numbers, so that they can meet again the next day to search for Chie’s mother. Then, they all left the room and made their good-byes outside of the building.  
  
Tsuneo went in the direction of his neighborhood, pondering the events of the day. Being alive was… unexpected… He had really thought that he would die in Italy…  
  
He hadn’t walk 100 meters yet that he heard a voice behind him.  
  
“Wait ! Wait !”  
  
He stopped and turned back. It was Kyo running after him. What did he want ?  
  
“Y… yes ?” he asked, surprised.  
  
“Tsu… Tsuneo, that’s it ?” Kyo said with a blush. Tsuneo nodded. “You… Th… Thank you !” Kyo exclaimed, bowing as Yamasaki had done before. “You… You’ve saved my life, thank you so much !”  
  
“Ah… well… You’ve saved mine, when I was surrounded…” Tsuneo answered, embarrassed. “It’s only justice.”  
  
“Justice…” Kyo whispered, puzzled.  
  
“Yes, now we’re square, I guess…”  
  
“Ah… Yes, I see…” he said, running a hand in his hair and tilting his head. “We’re square, yes… Good bye, then !”  
  
He turned around and left, without waiting for Tsuneo’s answer. Tsuneo turned back too and continued his walk toward his home.  
  
But he hadn’t walk for a minute yet that he heard Kyo call him again.  
  
“Wait ! Tsuneo !” he called, running behind him.  
  
“Yes ?” he answered, slightly annoyed. What did he want again ?  
  
“I… I know it’s sudden but…” Kyo began, blushing, “can I… can I come to your home for the night ?”  
  
“Eh ? But why ?” What the hell, he thought. “Your parents won’t be worried ?” He had said that, but he didn’t even know how old Kyo was. He seemed young, but maybe he didn’t live with his parents anymore.  
  
Kyo blushed even deeper and looked at the ground.  
  
“Why… Why do you think I’m a junky ?” he said, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. “My parents kicked me out…”  
  
So that was it ? Well, he didn’t really want to bring home a heroin addict, but Kyo was a fellow gantzer. He had saved his life during the mission, and he didn’t seem too dangerous. Tsuneo couldn’t leave him in the streets. He wondered why his parents had kicked him out, though.  
  
“Ok… You can come, I’ll just say that you’re a friend, it should be ok.”  
  
“Thanks !” Kyo said, his face brightening. That was the first time Tsuneo saw him smile. He looked really different than during the mission. Maybe he was a friendly guy, after all.  
  
On the way home, Tsuneo noticed that Kyo kept glancing in his direction. Every time he turned his head, throwing an interrogative look, Kyo looked away.  
  
“W… What ?” Tsuneo asked, after a while, wondering why he was acting so weirdly.  
  
“N… Nothing,” Kyo blushed and looked elsewhere. “It’s just… Thank you… You’re a nice guy.”  
  
Tsuneo was embarrassed. All this compliments in one evening, from Yamasaki and now Kyo, he didn’t deserve this much. He had just thought about what Kato would have done, that was all. He was just glad to be of help to some people. Yet, he would lie if he pretended not to be happy to be considered a hero, for once in his life.


	2. Virgin-kun

Tsuneo lived with his family in a little house in a quiet neighborhood. ‘Nikaido’ was written on the porch.  
  
“I’m home,” he announced as he entered, followed by Kyo.  
  
“Tsuneo ! I was worried ! Where were you ?” his mom asked, appearing from what must be the living room door. “Eh ? Who are you ?” she added, looking at Kyo from head to toe.  
  
“Ah… Sorry, Terada-sensei gave us a lot of homeworks, so we went to the library,” Tsuneo lied. “My phone didn’t have battery anymore, I couldn’t call you. And he’s Kyo, a friend from school.”  
  
“I’m Kyo Hanaki, nice to meet you,” Kyo said formally, bowing slightly. Mrs Nikaido seemed pleased to see that he was polite.  
  
“His parents are on a trip, so can he stay here tonight ?” Tsuneo asked, his voice casual as he lied to his mother.  
  
“Hum ? Yes, alright,” she agreed.  
  
“Thank you very much, Mrs Nikaido !” Kyo said, bowing again. Tsuneo’s mom seemed very nice, not like his own mother…  
  
They ate dinner, improvising a discussion about fake homework. It would have been strange if they had stayed silent during all the meal. Tsuneo didn’t eat much. After all the horror of the Italian mission, he didn’t have much appetite. Kyo, as for him, seemed to enjoy the meal. He ate everything with appetite, thanking Mrs Nikaido for the delicious food, even though it was nothing more than usual. Tsuneo wonder if he had enough to eat, wherever he lived… Or maybe it was just because he had been dead for several days ?  
  
After the meal, they went in Tsuneo’s room. It was messy, filled with mangas, collectible items, action figures and posters of anime characters. There was a small TV in a cupboard, and a desk with a computer. The bed was covered with old clothes, mangas, and a body pillow picturing a girl from an anime.  
  
“Ahah, sorry for the mess…” Tsuneo said, embarrassed. He hurried to hide the body pillow, and made piles with the mangas.  
  
“So, you’re an otaku ?” Kyo asked, impressed by the amount of manga-related items. He took the first manga he found, One Piece.  
  
“Hum yea, I guess… You like mangas ?” he replied with hope.  
  
“No, not really…” Kyo said. Tsuneo seemed disappointed. “B… But I’d like to read it, if it doesn’t bother you,” he added quickly. That made Tsuneo smile.  
  
“You’ll see, it’s awesome ! One of the best mangas I’ve ever read !”  
  
They spent the evening reading mangas and discussing them. Actually, Tsuneo was almost making the conversation himself, since Kyo didn’t know a lot of mangas. He just listened quietly to what Tsuneo said, occasionally asking a question. At the end of the evening, he hadn’t even finished the first volume of One Piece. They also talk about various things, like music or cinema, and they were surprised to see that they share some tastes, especially in music.  
  
It was getting late, so Tsuneo installed a futon on the floor for his new friend. That reminded him what Kyo had said about his parents. When they were both in their beds, the silent room dimly lit by the moonlight, he thought it was the good moment to talk about more serious topics.   
  
“You… you said that your parents have kicked you out ? So… you live in the streets now ?” he asked, embarrassed. Kyo was watching the ceiling, and took a moment before answering.   
  
“No…” he sighed. “I… I live with other people.”  
  
“Won’t they be worried that you didn’t come back ?” Tsuneo asked. Why hadn’t he gone back to where he lived tonight ? He didn’t regret getting to know Kyo more, who was actually a nice guy, not like Kuwabara or the other veterans, but he didn’t understand. Kyo had a forced laugh.  
  
“The only thing they’d worry about is the money they lost while I wasn’t there…”  
  
“What do you mean ?” Tsuneo asked, puzzled.  
  
“… Nothing…” Kyo answered after a moment of silence, his voice melancholic.  
  
“Come on, I’m curious now…” he complained. Kyo sighed loudly.  
  
“I… I don’t want to talk about it !” He turned away.  
  
“… Ok... I wasn’t going to force you, you know…” Tsuneo replied, perplexed. What with this reaction ? Kyo didn’t seem disposed to talk anymore anyway, so he closed his eyes, waiting to fall asleep.  
  
“L… Let’s just say that some… some men pay to… to sleep with me…” Kyo said after a while, his hands fidgeting with the blanket.  
  
“Oh…” Tsuneo said, his eyes widening in shock. He hadn’t expected that. So, Kyo was… forced to prostitute ? That must be horrible ! And why was he finally saying it ? “I’m… I’m sorry for asking…” he apologized. Kyo sighed.  
  
“At least I don’t live in the streets… I can eat and take showers and… I can buy the shit I put in my blood…”  
  
“I… I can’t even… imagine what kind of life you have. You must have been through horrible things…” Once again, Kyo had a forced laugh.  
  
“Nothing as horrible as Gantz,” he said, but Tsuneo couldn’t tell if it was irony or not.  
  
An awkward silence fell between them. Tsuneo wondered if it had really been a good thing to revive him, if he had to go back to this dreadful lifestyle. Maybe he should try to help him ? But he didn’t see what he could do… It was time to sleep anyway, so after a while, Tsuneo turned on the side and tried to sleep.  
  
It was easier said than done. He couldn’t help but remember the events of the day. His mind was filled with images of the horror, the corpses, the blood everywhere, and those deadly statues coming to kill him. He could see again his arm fall on the ground, torn apart by those monsters. How could he sleep after that ?  
  
“I heard you…” Kyo’s voice said, behind his back. Was he talking during his sleep ? Tsuneo turned around, and saw that Kyo was still awake too, staring at the ceiling, wrapped up in the blankets. His hands were still fidgeting with the fabric.  
  
“You said something ?”  
  
“I… I heard you, during the mission, when you were surrounded.”  
  
“Uh ?” Tsuneo didn’t see what Kyo was talking about.  
  
“You said that… you didn’t want to die a virgin…”  
  
“Ahah yea… that’s stupid, isn’t it ?” he said with an ashamed laugh.  
  
Kyo mumbled something, but Tsuneo didn’t hear.  
  
“Eh ? I didn’t hear…” Surely Kyo was making fun of him for still being a virgin, or for being afraid to die. After all, he had been pretty useless during the Nurarihyon mission…  
  
“I said…” Kyo began with a blush, turning his head to look at Tsuneo’s face, “I said would you like to… to do it… with me !”  
  
“Wh… What ?” Tsuneo asked, shocked, as he sat up suddenly. “Ahaha, what are you saying ? It’s a joke, right ?” Kyo’s cheeks turned deep red, and he turned away.  
  
“No…” he mumbled. “It’s not a joke…”  
  
“Come on, you can’t be serious, right ?” Tsuneo couldn’t believe his ears. What the hell was Kyo even thinking ?!  
  
“You… You brought me back to life… I want to thank you…”  
  
“But… but… You don’t need to thank me !” Especially like that, he thought.  
  
“It’s not just that !” Kyo said angrily, turning again to face the other boy. What did he mean, not just that ? “It’s… I… Because I…” he began, before changing his mind. “Don’t you want to do it ? Do you want to stay a virgin ?”  
  
“But… We’re both guys !” he argued.  
  
“Thanks, captain obvious…” Kyo sighed, rolling his eyes. “It doesn’t bother me.”  
  
“But it does bother me !” he almost shouted, before remembering about his family sleeping in the other rooms.  
  
“You know, I… I know exactly how to please men,” Kyo insisted, blushing.  
  
“S… Stop it. I like girls, ok ?” he said to put an end to this awkward conversation.  
  
“I see…” Kyo sighed, disappointed. “I’m sorry…  Just… forget everything I’ve said…”  
  
His sad face, with slightly pouting lips and puppy eyes, it made Tsuneo blush. Kyo looked almost like a girl. With his fine hair and soft features, he could be even prettier than Yamasaki, if he was a girl. The kind of girl he could have had a crush on, he thought with shame. And now, this person wanted to do it with him ? That was ridiculous…  
  
Tsuneo knew that he was an average-looking otaku, with no particular skill or interest, and that he would probably never have a girlfriend. At least, not a cute one. He would probably stay a virgin for a long time. Unless he… No ! What was he thinking ! Not with Kyo ! If Kyo was a girl, he would probably have accepted but… As pretty as he was, Kyo was still a boy, and that… that was unthinkable. Right ?  
  
“I… I don’t… No… It’s weird…” he stuttered. It was true that he found Kyo beautiful, he could be a model for magazines, but that was normal to recognize beauty even in boys, wasn’t it ? That didn’t mean he was attracted to him…  
  
“But maybe… maybe we can try anyway ?” Kyo asked with hope, blushing, and bit his lip as he immediately regretted asking that. Tsuneo gulped. Oh god no… It’s was dangerous… For a second, he had found it cute, the way he blushed and bit his lower lip. Damn these girlish boys who messed with the feelings of honest people !  
  
“I… I guess…” he answered without even realizing it. What the hell, brain ! Why did he had to say that ? But it was just a try, right ? What could go wrong ? It was true that Kyo was girlish and beautiful, so maybe it wouldn’t be so weird ? And if he didn’t like it, he could kick Kyo out. After all, now that he had revived him, they were square, he didn’t have any obligation toward him.  
  
“Re… Really ?” Kyo exclaimed, not believing it. The expression of surprise and the hesitant smile on his lips… they were definitely cute…  
  
“Y… yea… Come here before I change my mind…” he said, blushing and looking elsewhere.  
  
Kyo didn’t need to hear it twice. He hurried to sit next to Tsuneo. He was only wearing pajama pants that he had borrowed, but was bare-chested, so when he got up, Tsuneo involuntarily took a look. Kyo wasn’t muscled at all, and was very slim. His eyes stopped accidentally on Kyo’s little, rosy nipples, and his heart missed a beat. He felt his cheek turning deep red. Oh god… After all, he always had a thing for small breast, but Kyo was a guy ! Yet he looked so much like a girl, he even had hips marked almost like a girl’s…  
  
Kyo didn’t seem to have noticed Tsuneo’s glance, but he remarked that he had tensed up, his cheeks blushing.  
  
“Don’t worry,” he whispered in a sensual voice, bringing his lips close to Tsuneo’s ear. “Everything’s alright. It’s just you and me.” Tsuneo was afraid, but it was too late to turn back now.  
  
Kyo cupped Tsuneo’s face in his hands, and gently connected their lips. It was… unexpectedly warm, but not disagreeable, Tsuneo thought with shame, a strange feeling spreading in his chest as he began relaxing. Kyo’s lips were smooth, soft against his. So soft… Unexpectedly… delicious. Without thinking of it, maybe by reflex, Tsuneo put his arms around Kyo’s back and brought him closer, touching, feeling his silky skin under his fingers.  
  
“Ah…” Kyo whispered when he felt Tsuneo’s hands on his back, and began kissing with more intensity, nibbling his lips.  
  
Tsuneo felt a growing desire rise in his chest, though he didn’t want it, and was afraid of it. Kyo’s lips, Kyo’s delicate hands gently caressing his hair, Kyo’s half-naked body so close to him, all of this was so scary, yet so exciting at the same time. How ? Why ? Why was he feeling that for… for another boy ? That wasn’t normal, he had to fight it !  
  
“Kyo…” he mumbled flustered, breaking the kiss.  
  
“You… you don’t like it ?” Kyo asked, blushing, disappointment audible in his voice. Why… Why was Tsuneo finding him adorable, with his pink cheeks and his worried expression ? Hell no, he liked it, he was just frightened !  
  
Seeing that Tsuneo didn’t answer and didn’t move, Kyo began to move back, his face sad. At least he had tried… But he seemed that Tsuneo didn’t share his feelings… He tried to free himself from Tsuneo’s arms, which were still around him. That seemed to make him react. Instead of letting go of Kyo, he tightened his grip.  
  
“Damn…” he whispered, as he leaned to capture Kyo’s lips with his own. What the hell was he doing ? He had never kissed anyone before, who could have thought that his first kiss would be for a boy ? Worst, who could have thought that he would like it ? Feeling that, that was wrong, he knew it. Yet it didn’t feel wrong, it felt right, so right, so good. But so shameful… Maybe if he got 100 points again, he could have this memory erased ? Ah but… It was over, right ? They would never been called in the room again. He would never forget that he had given his first kiss to a boy… So… Maybe the only thing to do was enjoy the moment ?  
  
Kyo was elated. For a moment he really had thought that Tsuneo didn’t want him, but now he was kissing him with intensity. Kyo’s skin was feeling hyper-sensitive under Tsuneo’s hands, sending shivers in his spine and making him even more excited. Soon, his tongue demanded entry in Tsuneo’s mouth.  
  
Tsuneo didn’t fight and granted entrance immediately, sending his own tongue in Kyo’s mouth. The warmness of the other’s mouth, the feeling of their tongues tangling, dancing together, was driving him crazy. So that was it, kissing ? He had never thought it would be so great. He didn’t fight either when Kyo climbed on his lap. In fact, the weight and the contact between their bodies excited him.  
  
After a while, they broke the kiss, panting for air.  
  
“Ah… Tsuneo… You… You like it finally ?” Kyo asked with a blush, putting on his most charming smile.  
  
Tsuneo didn’t answer and closed the distance between their lips once again, hungry for the feeling. But Kyo gently pushed him back, laughing lightly, and began kissing him in the neck. God, it felt so good, Kyo’s smooth lips kissing and sucking his skin. With his hands, he unbuttoned Tsuneo’s pajama’s shirt, slowly, caressing his chest at the same time. When he was done, his hands found their way to Tsuneo’s pants, and he began touching his crotch. Tsuneo was already hard from the kiss, but feeling hands on it, it made it even worse. He tensed up.  
  
“Kyo…” he said hesitantly.  
  
“Shh…” the other boy purred in his ear. “Don’t worry… Just lie back and relax. I’ll go slowly.”  
  
Tsuneo did as indicated, but he couldn’t help feeling anxious. Kyo began going down, kissing his shoulders, chest, and belly on the way. Finally arriving to the crotch, he began touching the bulge in his pants, caressing it, kissing it though the fabric.  
  
Tsuneo was breathless, panting and moaning as Kyo touched him. Kyo pulled Tsuneo’s pants off, revealing his erection and beginning to caress it with his fingertips. Tsuneo tensed up, ashamed. Kissing was something, but this… this was a different story. Just a kiss, it wasn’t too serious, he could still convince himself that it was nothing, that it didn’t mean anything, but if they actually had sex, it would be the point of no return. He probably had to fight, to prevent it, after all he wasn’t gay ! But it was so hard moving, when he felt jolts of pleasure where Kyo was touching.  
  
He looked at Kyo, determined to tell him to stop, but his heart missed a beat. Kyo was just too cute, with his hair falling gracefully around his closed eyes and flushed cheeks. His lips were giving just a hint of a content smile. His lips, that were on his own lips just a moment ago, so warm and soft and… and so tempting, Tsuneo thought, blushing. He gulped but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything. He… He actually wanted to feel Kyo’s pink lips around his member. Oh god… What was wrong with him ? But he couldn’t help it, Kyo’s fingers were driving him crazy with lust. Just when Kyo was finally approaching his lips, Tsuneo remembered something.  
  
“W… Wait…” he stuttered, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.  
  
“Uh ? You… you want me to stop ?” Kyo asked, tilting his head.  
  
“N… No, it’s just…” He turned to the side of the bed and opened the drawer of the bedside table. That was where he kept a box of tissues and a bottle of lube, for his private moments, and some condoms, though he never really had hope of using them one day. He grabbed one and gave it to Kyo, feeling awkward.  
  
“Oh, you’re right, safety first,” Kyo said with a half-smile. “It’s not like we could die at any time…”  
  
“Ah… yes… So… sorry,” he answered, ashamed, scratching the back of his head. He felt ridiculous. But Kyo smiled, opened the wrapper and slowly unrolled the condom around Tsuneo’s hardness, using his fingers to give him pleasure.  
  
When it was in place, Kyo began using his hands and lips together, gently kissing and licking, making Tsuneo moan. Damn, why was it so good ? He couldn’t fight if it was this good ! It was so much better than using his body pillow…  
  
He let out a “Ha…” of surprise and pleasure as Kyo began taking it in his mouth, just the head, then more and more, licking and sucking, while using his hands to caress Tsuneo’s body.  
  
Tsuneo clung to the sheets and bit his lower lips, to prevent from moaning and groaning too loudly.  It was just too much, the wet feeling, the heat, Kyo’s tongue swirling around his member. At this rate, he wouldn’t last long…  
  
But Kyo knew what he was doing, and he wasn’t going to let Tsuneo finish this early. After a last lick, he freed Tsuneo’s erection, panting. He climbed back on Tsuneo and caught his lips in his own. Tsuneo eagerly kissed back, putting his arms around Kyo’s body. Kyo dug his fingers in his hair, as the kiss became more passionate, more languorous.  
  
Tsuneo had stopped thinking, he couldn’t think right anyway. He was just listening to his senses, to his body, and right now his body was telling him to crush his lips against Kyo’s, to swirl their tongues together, and to tighten his arms as much as he could, bringing Kyo against him, even closer if it was possible.  
  
“Ahah relax, I’m not going anywhere,” Kyo whispered, freeing his lips from Tsuneo’s.  
  
“Oh… Sorry…” he blushed. Maybe he was hurting him. He loosened his grip.  
  
“That’s better,” Kyo said with a smile. “You… you can move your hands too, you know ?” he added, replacing a lock of hair behind his ear. God… Why was he so cute ? Without thinking, Tsuneo caught his lips again and tried to move his hands, gently caressing Kyo’s silky naked skin. “Yes, like that… It’s good…” Kyo moaned encouragingly through the kiss.  
  
Gaining confidence, Tsuneo began to move his hands lower, slipping them into Kyo’s pants. He ran his hands on Kyo’s butt-cheeks, round and soft, grabbing them, squeezing them lightly. Kyo seemed to like it, since he intensified the kiss, crushing his lips on Tsuneo’s and tightening his arms around his neck.  
  
After a while, he pulled Kyo’s pants off and began hesitantly touching his entrance with his middle finger, making him moan. Girl or boy, it didn’t matter anymore. He couldn’t think right anymore. He felt dizzy, his heart pounding in his chest. He just wanted to drown in pleasure, and to give equal pleasure to his partner.  
  
“Wait…” Kyo breathed, blushing heavily. “It’ll hurt if you don’t use lube.”  
  
“Ah… yes, sorry…” He grabbed the bottle of lube in the opened drawer and put some on his fingers, while Kyo was busy kissing and nibbling his collarbone. It was hard to focus, with him doing that, and Tsuneo put a lot of lube on the sheets.  
  
He put his hands back on Kyo’s bottom and began teasing the entrance again, slowly inserting his middle finger. It was a strange feeling, the pressure around his finger, and damn, it was hot ! But it must be even stranger for Kyo, he thought. He didn’t even want to imagine what it must feel like. Kyo groaned with what looked like a mix of pleasure and pain.  
  
“Did… Did I hurt you ?” Tsuneo asked, worried.  
  
“N… No… I’m alright, continue,” Kyo answered, smiling hesitantly, though Tsuneo could see that it hurt a little.  
  
“R… Really ?” he added, unsure. Kyo rolled his eyes and sighed, but didn’t answer. He just cupped Tsuneo’s face with his hands and reclaimed his mouth once more. Therefore Tsuneo began moving his finger inside him, in a back-and-forth movement, making him moan.  
  
Tsuneo couldn’t tell if Kyo was a good kisser or not, since he had never kissed anyone else, but it was driving him ecstatic. His whole body was burning, asking for more. He wanted more… And damn, why did Kyo have to moan so seductively ?! It was just too much to bear. He withdrew his finger from Kyo’s body, and, before he could say anything, grabbed him by the hips and rolled over to be on top.  
  
“Tsu… Tsuneo ?” Kyo asked with surprise. He blushed when he saw Tsuneo’s bold smile, understanding that he was serious, and bit his lower lips, his eyes blazing.  
  
Seeing Kyo’s naked, slim, almost girlish body under his, it sent a wave of desire through Tsuneo’s whole body. He dived in Kyo’s neck, kissing him in turn. Kyo seemed to like it, moaning and tilting his head to reveal more skin.  
  
Tsuneo decided to be braver, and went down a little, bringing his lips to Kyo’s chest, where he began licking one of his perfect nipples. It produced the desired effect, since Kyo began breathing heavier, whispering Tsuneo’s name. At the same time, he put his hand back between Kyo’s legs and inserted his finger again. It tightened but he continued to move his finger, and soon he felt it loosening a little.  
  
Maybe… Maybe it was time to put another finger ? He had seen that in several hentais, and it was probably the right thing to do, given how tight Kyo’s entrance still was. Hoping he still had enough lube on his finger, he brought his index next to the entrance and pushed slightly, inserting it with care.  
  
Kyo cringed a little from the pain, gritting his teeth. But soon, it became agreeable, as Tsuneo was making back-and-forth movements and spreading his fingers to enlarge the opening. He felt hot, breathing heavily, moaning at the movements of Tsuneo’s fingers inside him, and tongue against his nipple.  
  
“Is… Is it alright ?” Tsuneo asked after a while, his cheek becoming bright red. “Can… Can I… ?” He couldn’t wait any longer, but fortunately, Kyo nodded. Thrilled, Tsuneo generously applied lube on his hardness, and tried entering in Kyo.  
  
It was so hot and tight, and so strange, with just the head inside. He could feel Kyo’s muscles tighten around it, as he grimaced in pain.  
  
“Does it hurt… ?” he asked, worrying.  
  
“A little but… it’s normal,” Kyo said, his teeth gritted. “Continue but… go slowly.”  
  
Tsuneo did as he was told, and slowly inserted more of it, until all was inside. He slowly began to move back, carefully, as he didn’t want to hurt Kyo. But it seemed painful anyway, since Kyo was groaning and arching his hips.  
  
“You… you know,” Kyo began with a grimace. “It’d be easier if you kissed me.” Tsuneo raised an eyebrow, he didn’t see how it would make it easier, and he didn’t want Kyo to bit him accidentally because of the pain.  
  
“Maybe it’d be better to stop ?” he said, though he didn’t want to, surprisingly. Kyo sighed, losing patience.  
  
“Come here, idiot… And don’t you dare stop !” He grabbed Tsuneo’s head and pulled it to his mouth, bringing their lips together.  
  
Tsuneo didn’t argue, he was delighted to kiss his captivating lips. Kissing helped Kyo focus on something else than the pain, and soon he was relaxed enough for Tsuneo to make back-and-forth movements. When Kyo began moaning with pleasure again instead of pain, Tsuneo realized he was so focused on Kyo’s pain that he hadn’t even paid attention to his own feelings.  
  
That was it, he was doing it ! He wasn’t a virgin anymore ! But… he was doing it with a guy… He couldn’t decide if he was pleased or not. His conscience was telling him that it was ridiculous, shameful, immoral to do it with a boy, but his body was loving it ! He thought it was immoral because he had prejudices, because it was what everybody generally said. But his body was loving it because it had proofs. Now he knew how it really felt, and damn it was great !  
  
He moaned and groaned as he thrusted into Kyo faster and faster, sweating and taking short, quick breathes. Hell yes, it felt good, the pressure around his member, Kyo’s nails dug in his back and the kisses whenever they weren’t panting heavily, as a pace was setting between their bodies.  
  
Kyo seemed to have abandoned himself to the pleasure. He was moaning Tsuneo’s name, his head thrown back in the pillow, and moving his hips in rhythm with the thrusts. Seeing the skin of his neck exposed like that, Tsuneo couldn’t resist. He brought his lips to the heated skin, its scent exhilarating, head-spinning, and kissed hungrily.  
  
It wasn’t too long before Kyo moaned more loudly, his nails raking across Tsuneo’s back and his muscles suddenly tightening around his member, causing him to come. Tsuneo had to bit his lip to prevent from making too much noise as he finally released, his whole body stiffening.  
  
What… What had happened ? Had Kyo came just before him ? That was why he had suddenly tightened ?  
  
“So… Sorry,” Kyo mumbled, blushing and panting.  
  
Tsuneo didn’t answer and roll over on his back, trying to catch his breath. Oh god, what had he done ? He had really done it with a guy ? And… he had liked it ? What did that make of him ? A gay ? But… He loved girls, and he couldn’t find anything attractive in someone like Kato or Kuwabara, for example… Maybe… Maybe it was just Kyo ? Sure he looked way more feminine than Kuwabara… Yes, that must be it, he thought, trying to reassure himself. He didn’t like boys, really. Yet, he couldn’t help but think that if he really hated it, he would have fought, he wouldn’t have given in so easily…   
  
“You hate me ?” Kyo asked with a sad voice.  
  
Well, he should probably hate him, for turning him gay or whatever, but it was a little bit late to think about that… What’s done was done….  
  
“No, I… I don’t hate you,” he sighed, feeling the blood coming to his cheeks. That answer seemed to satisfy Kyo, who came snuggling in his arms. He seemed content to stay like that.  
  
Tsuneo was worried. Now that the excitement was gone, he began to be afraid. He couldn’t even imagine what his family would say if they knew what had just happened… Maybe he would be kicked out, having brought shame on the house ? Not that his parents were old fashioned, but still… Fortunately, they hadn’t made too much noise. Sure they had moaned a lot, but not too loudly. Or at least he hoped. And thinking about that, maybe that was the reason why Kyo had been kicked out of his home ?  
  
Seeing that Tsuneo didn’t reject him, Kyo began drawing random patterns on his chest with his fingertips. Did… Did Tsuneo like it, having someone in his arms like that ? Sure if it was a girl, he would like it, but… He didn’t have any certainties anymore… He was tired, and maybe it would feel nice to sleep next to Kyo… He sighed and put an arm around his back.  
  
There were still a lot of thing that he didn’t understand. Why was Kyo acting like that ? He was so different than from the mission… During the mission, he was determined and blood thirsty, only interested in killing the 100-pointer, but now he was acting all nice and soft. Why such a change ?  
  
Or maybe it wasn’t really a change ? After all, Kyo had saved him and protected him until his death… He had been nice, while the other veterans hadn’t even looked at him. And maybe… maybe the coldness and confidence with which he killed all those aliens were caused by the drugs ? Tsuneo had seen him inject something in his arm, before being separated from the main group by the aliens.  
  
“Why me…?” Tsuneo thought aloud.  
  
“Uh ?” Kyo asked, raising his head from where he was resting, on Tsuneo’s chest.  
  
“F… First you saved me during the Nurarihyon mission, and now… that… Why ?”  
  
Kyo thought for a moment before answering.  
  
“Maybe… Maybe I like you…” he mumbled, blushing. Tsuneo’s eyes widened in shock. What the hell ? Even if Kyo was gay, he couldn’t like someone like him !  
  
“What… What are you saying ? You can’t be serious ! I’m… I’m a loser, and I’m not even good-looking.”   
  
“Well I… I have a soft spot for the geeky type,” Kyo said, playing with a lock of his hair.   
  
“A… A soft spot ?” Tsuneo repeated. He couldn’t believe it. Nobody liked geeks, right ?  
  
“Uh-huh… I… I much prefer guys like you than guys who show off all the time like Kuwabara or Nobu. These guys, they thing they’re so cool and better than everyone, but they’re just lame,” he explained, determined to be honest, resting his head again on Tsuneo’s chest. “You on the contrary, you showed your emotions. That… That touched me…”  
  
“You… you mean when I was… crying like a baby, surrounded by those weak monsters ? I couldn’t do anything, I should have been rather pathetic…”  
  
“Ahaha, a little, yes…” Kyo chuckled. “But it was cute too. It made me want to protect you.” He sighed. “I hadn’t thought that in the end, you would be the one saving me…”  
  
Tsuneo didn’t know what to answer to that. All of this seemed really weird, he just couldn’t get used to the idea…  
  
“So… So you… like me ?” he asked, blushing and looking elsewhere.  
  
“… Yes…” Kyo whispered, freezing. Now that he had told it, Tsuneo would probably be mad and kick him out…  
  
“And… And… Did you enjoy… doing it with me ?”  
  
Kyo almost burst out laughing. He hadn’t expected that, and it was just too cute.  
  
“Ahaha, you’re worrying about that ?” He looked at Tsuneo’s face, who blushed and nodded slightly. “Pfff idiot, of course I enjoyed ! You know… Usually I do that only for the money, and most often, when I can, I’m too high to care anyway… But with you… I… I wanted it, I did it because I wanted to, not because I was forced, and… You were doing real good, despite your clumsiness… You were attentive to me, to our bodies… I really, really liked it,” he almost purred the last words.  
  
He felt that Tsuneo had tensed up, and worried. Maybe... Maybe Tsuneo didn’t want to hear that ? Maybe he wanted to hear that it had been horrible, that he had hated it, so it would be easier to kick him out ? It wouldn’t be the first time he got kicked out by a guy who regretted.  
  
“And… and you ?” he added, anxious. “Did… did you like it a little or was it… really awful to do it with a boy ?”  
  
“I… I’m not sure…” Tsuneo stuttered, “It’s weird… I think I liked it too, but I can’t help thinking that we shouldn’t have done that. I can’t help but think about what people would say if they knew… But… But there’s also a part of me that doesn’t care, because it felt good anyway…”  
  
“I see…” Kyo sighed with relief. Of course he would have preferred that Tsuneo had absolutely loved it, but at least he hadn’t entirely hated it. That was a good start, he thought, snuggling closer in his arms. “Maybe you could… just listen to this part of you who liked it ? At least for tonight ?”  
  
Tsuneo wondered if he could. What use would it be to think about regrets and question his sexual orientation right now ? It would be more productive tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep, when his brain would have processed all the event of the evening. He was too tired for that anyway. For now, he could probably do as Kyo said. He could probably forget his worries, just for a night, and sleep peacefully with someone in his arms.  
  
“I… I think I can,” he said hesitantly. He put his glasses on the bedside table and turned on the side to face Kyo.  
  
“Good !” Kyo grinned. He put a hand on his cheek and gently kissed him. Tsuneo hesitated for a second and kissed back, holding him tighter in his arms. “Sleep well,” Kyo said with a lovely smile.  
  
“Hmm, You… You too,” Tsuneo answered with a blush.  
  
Kyo buried his face in Tsuneo’s chest and they both fell asleep. The day had been particularly exhausting. It was weird to think that a few hours earlier, Tsuneo was in Italy, surrounded by corpses and fighting for his life. But this time, no image of the horror came in his mind, as if they were blocked by the presence next to him. Feeling soothed by Kyo, he fell in a dreamless slumber.


	3. Chie

When Tsuneo woke up, feeling well rested for the first time since his death and the beginning of the missions, Kyo was still sleeping peacefully next to him. Tsuneo yawned and looked at his alarm clock. He had woken up thirty minutes too early… But he wasn’t tired anymore, so he turned it off. At least he would have time to take a good breakfast.  
  
Suddenly, he noticed that both Kyo and him were still naked, not even covered by the blankets. He got up in a hurry, blushing deeply as he remembered the events of the night. Oh god, what had he done… ? Had he really lost his virginity to a boy ? What the hell was wrong with him !? But that hadn’t been so bad, a part of his mind thought. No ! What was he thinking ! It was bad ! But why, the same part of his mind though again, why was it bad ? It had been agreeable, and he wasn’t a virgin anymore.  
  
He couldn’t think right anymore. Surely a good shower would help him order his thoughts and see clearer. Yes, that was a good idea. He put on his pajamas, which were on the floor, and went to the door. Just before he opened it, he remembered that Kyo was still naked. Without him at his side, Kyo would be cold, if he stayed like that. Trying not to look too much at his naked body, Tsuneo covered him with the blanket, and left the room.  
  
The hot water helped him relax a little. All his muscles were aching, probably a consequence of the mission in Italy. He still had difficulties to realize that he was alive. It was so surreal… And yet he was there, unharmed and well. Even more surprising, he had earned enough points to revive Yamasaki, as he had promised to Kato, and Kyo.  
  
Kyo Hanaki… Tsuneo couldn’t believe what they had done… He would have never thought about doing it with a boy before ! It was ridiculous ! He liked girls ! He was absolutely sure of that fact. Just to make sure, he tried to think about cute girls, and his body reacted almost immediately. Yes, he liked girls, that was doubtless.  
  
He was also sure of the fact that he didn’t like boys, usually. Yet, he couldn’t deny any longer that he had liked doing it with Kyo. He had to be honest with himself, he had liked it. What did that make of him, then ? He couldn’t be gay, since he liked girls. So what ? A bisexual ? Maybe… But that was even stranger than being gay, wasn’t it ? The kind of things that could only happen to strange minor characters in mangas, he thought with a sigh… Was it really what was happening to him ? He wasn’t sure. After all, he had never been attracted to a guy before…  
  
After the shower, he went back to the bedroom and dressed himself. Today he had to go to high school, as any other week day, like nothing had happened. It was definitely strange, risking his life, killing aliens, seeing people die, almost dying himself, and going back to school the next day… Anyway, he put on his uniform.  
  
When he was done, he sat on the desk chair and watch Kyo sleeping. He would have to wake him up soon. He didn’t know what Kyo had planned to do today, but they had to leave the house together, since his mother thought Kyo was a friend from school. But he seemed so exhausted... He could probably let him sleep a little longer. And he was just too cute when sleeping, Tsuneo thought with a sigh, and immediately blushed at the thought. But that was true, he couldn’t deny it. Kyo was cute, with his chestnut hair falling gracefully around his fine, girlish features. His skin was smooth and flawless, and he was slightly built. If he hadn’t seen him naked, Tsuneo could have doubted that he was really a boy…  
  
On the desk, his phone rang. He hurried to pick it up, but it had already awakened Kyo.  
  
“Hmm… what’s that… ?” he groaned sleepily.  
  
“S… Sorry, it’s my phone… A message from Yamasaki,” Tsuneo answered, reading the message.  
  
“Yamasaki ?” Kyo yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.  
  
“She asks if I can meet her after school, to search for Chie’s mom.”  
  
“Oh, I see.”  
  
“W… Will you come too ?”  
  
“Yea, I guess…” Kyo answered, stretching his arms. He moved to get up, but realized he was still naked. “Can… can you give me my pants ?”  
  
“S… Sure.” Tsuneo picked them on the floor and threw them to Kyo.  
  
“Thanks.” He put on his pants under the blanket, and got up. Tsuneo was avoiding looking at him. Kyo sighed.  
  
“You hate me, right ?” he said, his voice sad. That was normal, he thought. Tsuneo wasn’t gay. What they have done was a mistake, just a moment of confusion, because of the night, the tiredness, the proximity, and his insistence… But now it would really be over, Tsuneo would kick him out and try to forget about all of this. Right now, he probably regretted having revived him...  
  
“I… I already told you no…” Tsuneo answered after a while, looking out of the window.  
  
“R… Really ?” Kyo asked, his face brightening. Tsuneo was a really nice guy. It must be hard for him, but he wasn’t even angry. There weren’t a lot of guys who would react like this, Kyo thought.  
  
“Y… Yes…” he said, blushing. “Now hurry to get ready or I’ll be late to school.”  
  
“Oh yes, sure.”  
  
Kyo went to take a shower and then dressed the same way as the day before, since he didn’t have a change of clothes. They took a quick breakfast and left. Kyo accompanied Tsuneo on the way to school. Since Tsuneo’s bicycle had been destroyed during the accident that had caused his death, he was forced to leave a little earlier every morning and to go to high school by foot.  
  
“You know, the uniform really suits you,” Kyo said, taking glances at Tsuneo while they were walking.  
  
“A… Are you making fun of me ?” he asked, embarrassed.  
  
“N… No, really ! What makes you think that ?”  
  
“Well you… you were much colder during the mission…”  
  
Kyo blushed slightly as he remembered being a little harsh with Tsuneo, when they were facing the 100-pointer.  
  
“It… It’s different… We were risking our lives…” he answered. “But actually I’m a nice guy, I think…” He paused. “I… I wasn’t cold yesterday, was I ?”  
  
“Erm, no… you weren’t…” Tsuneo blushed. Kyo chuckled.  
  
“You’re cute when you blush like that,” he said with a smile. That only made Tsuneo blush deeper. “S… Sorry, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”  
  
“Well it’s… too late for that, I’m afraid…” he said, embarrassed. “A… All of this seems so strange… I don’t even know which is stranger. A… A boy telling me that I’m cute, or someone telling me that I’m cute… ?” That made Kyo laugh.  
  
“That’s why I have a soft spot for geeks.”  
  
“Why ?”  
  
“Your lack of self-confidence. It’s so funny,” he explained, laughing.  
  
“Making fun of me again ?” Tsuneo complained, but soon he was laughing too.  
  
After a while, they arrived in front of the school. With a wave and a ‘see you later’, Tsuneo went inside.  
  
It was so weird, going to school, chatting with his friends like any other day. They had no idea that he was now an alien hunter. A kind of superhero, he thought not without pride, though he knew he had only survived because of his instinct and a lot of luck.  
  
When he arrived in class, people were discussing with liveliness what had happened in Italy. Apparently it was already in the news.  
  
“Did you see what happened yesterday ?”  
  
“It’s crazy ! After Tokyo and Osaka, now it’s Rome ?!”  
  
“Aliens, I tell you !”  
  
“For real ?!”  
  
“It’s only for a movie ! They’re talking about it even on CNN !”  
  
“And those people in black, they’re actors ?”  
  
“No, dumbass ! They really exist ! My cousin saw them in Dotonbori the other day !”  
  
“Then your cousin is a liar !”  
  
“Nikaido, what do you think ?” someone asked him.  
  
“It’s… It’s only an urban legend, isn’t it ?” he said awkwardly. If only they knew that he was one of these people in black…  
  
“Yes, you’re right !”  
  
“But it seems so real ! And the city was really damaged !”  
  
The discussion continued for a while, but gradually stopped when the teacher arrived.  
  
Tsuneo had difficulties focusing on the lessons. With the events of the previous day, he had a lot in his mind. That’s when he noticed the empty seat, where his friend used to sit.  
  
Oh no, he thought with horror… He had completely forgotten about him !! His friend, who had died at the same time as him, he could have revived him !  
  
Oh no, no no, that was unforgivable ! He began sweating and feeling sick. He could have, maybe should have, revived his friend instead of Kyo ! Just… Just because Kyo had saved him, he had totally forgotten about that !  
  
Well, they weren’t that close, he was just a friend he used to talk with on the way home, but still, that was unforgivable ! Damn his stupid sense of justice ! And to think that the missions were over ! He would never have 100 points again to revive him !  
  
Now, this boy who used to have the whole life ahead of him, he would never go to school again, never chat with his friends again, never graduate and have a job he loved. He would never know love, he would never have a wife, and children, and grand-children. And all of it was his fault !  
  
“Oi, Nikaido, are you alright ?” his neighbor asked. “Nikaido ?!” he exclaimed more loudly when he noticed that Tsuneo was crying.  
  
“Eh ! What’s going on ?” the teacher asked, annoyed by all this noise.  
  
“I don’t know sensei, Nikaido is crying !”  
  
“Nikaido, are you not feeling well ?” the teacher ask, coming closer.  
  
Tsuneo was shivering. He suddenly felt nauseous and put his hand on his mouth.  
  
“B… Bring him to the infirmary,” the teacher told to a student.  
  
Tsuneo felt someone help him get up and drag him to the infirmary. The nurse asked what was going on, but Tsuneo couldn’t answer, so she made him lie on a bed and sent the other student back to class.  
  
After a while, Tsuneo calmed down. He was staring at the ceiling, trying not to think. How could he have been so stupid ? Not that he regretted reviving Kyo, after all he had saved his life, that was justice to revive him, and, as Tsuneo’s friend, Kyo had the whole life ahead of him too ! But he was angry with himself not to have even thought about his friend…  
  
After the first mission, he had talked to the police, explaining how the truck had hit them. He had had to invent a reason why he was still alive and not the other. And then, he had talked with the family, he had even come to the burial. His friend was dead. In his mind, it sounded very definitive. Maybe that was why he hadn’t thought about reviving him…  
No, it was useless to look for excuses. What he had done what unforgivable. Now he would have to live with that…  
  
It was useless to say anything to Kyo. He had nothing to do with it, and he shouldn’t have to feel guilty to have been revived. The only one who should feel guilty was him, he thought.  
  
“Do you feel better ?” the nurse asked, coming to see him.  
  
“Y… yes,” he lied.  
  
She took his temperature, but it was normal.  
  
“What happened to you ? Do you feel sick ?”  
  
“N… No, it’s just… I… I thought about a friend who… who died recently, and I suddenly felt bad,” he explained without getting into specifics.  
  
“I see… You should go back home for today,” the nurse decided.  
  
“Th… Thank you.”  
  
But Tsuneo didn’t want to go back home now. He could call Yamasaki and Kyo and tell them they could meet now, but he needed to stay alone for a while. So he just wandered in a park for a few hours.  
  
What’s done is done, he thought. He couldn’t go back. And even if he could, would he really choose his friend over Kyo ? He wasn’t even sure. People died, nobody could help it. His friend had died, and him too. They were offered a second chance, it was already more than anyone could hope for. But then, his friend had died again. Maybe… Maybe that meant that his time really had come. Maybe it was fate. Maybe, if Tsuneo had revived him, he would have died again because of fate ?  
  
Kyo, however, was a fighter. He had used his second chance to protect the human beings from those horrible aliens. He had saved Tsuneo’s life. And he had given his life a second time, trying to kill a powerful and dangerous enemy, a threat for humanity. Maybe… Yes… Kyo had deserved to be revived. That was justice.  
  
At least, that was what Tsuneo tried to tell himself, to justify his choice. But deep in his heart, he knew he should have revived his friend. Not because he had deserved it, not because of justice, but because it would have been the right thing to do…  
  
He tried to calm himself. Panicking was useless. And he absolutely had to keep this story for himself. Nobody had to know, especially Kyo.  
  
When he thought he had calmed down enough, he sent a message to Yamasaki and Kyo to meet them earlier. They were free, and decided to meet in a café in Chayamachi.  
  
When he arrived, Kyo and Yamasaki were already there. She was holding Chie in her arms.  
  
“Hi !” he said, joining them. Kyo smiled at him, but Tsuneo avoided his eyes, feeling guilty.  
  
“Nii-san !” Chie exclaimed, and reached her hands to go in Tsuneo’s arms.  
  
“Hi,” Yamasaki replied, giving him Chie. “So, how was school ?”  
  
“Good, good,” he lied, looking elsewhere.  
  
They went inside and ordered coffees, and a hot chocolate for Chie. Then, they sat around a table near the window. Chie insisted to sit on Tsuneo’s lap.  
  
“Th… Thanks for taking care of her this night and today,” Tsuneo said to Yamasaki. “Everything went well ?”  
  
“Yes, she spent the day playing with my son,” she answered, taking a sip of coffee. “But I didn’t have much time to ask her things about her mother. It’s hard coming back to life, even after only a few days…”  
  
“Yes, I guess… I’m sorry, but I really couldn’t bring her home.”  
  
“Ahahah it’s nothing, don’t worry,” she laughed. “It was just weird for Jun to see me come back after several days, with a little girl in the arms…”  
  
“Jun ?” he asked.  
  
“My son,” she explained. “But… Thanks to you Tsuneo, I was able to come back home,” she said, grateful. “I was able to see my son again, to hold him in my arms, to kiss him… I’ll… I’ll never thank you enough for that !”  
  
“Ahah s… stop thanking me,” he answered, embarrassed. “I’m just glad you were able to see your son again.” He didn’t need to be thanked about that, especially after today’s realization. He could have revived his friend, or Oka, or another veteran. All was a matter of choices and coincidences. If it was hard for the person who came back to life, it was hard too for him, who had to pay the consequences of this choice.  
  
“S… So ! What about Chie’s mom ?” he said, changing the subject.  
  
“First of all, we need to know her name,” Kyo stated.  
  
“Right. Chie, do you know your mama’s name ?” Tsuneo asked to the little girl on his lap.  
“Hum…” she thought about it. “Mama ?”  
  
Kyo burst out laughing and Tsuneo facepalmed. Yamasaki laughed too, thinking that her son would probably have the same answer. Chie looked at Kyo, not understanding why he was laughing, and started giggling.  
  
“You’re funny you !” she said between two giggles. She was just too cute, Tsuneo couldn’t help but laugh too.  
  
“C… Come on, it’s serious !” he said, trying to stop laughing. “And your daddy, you know his name ?” he said when everybody had calmed down.  
  
“Eh ? I don’t have a daddy, I only have mama,” Chie answered as if it was obvious. So her mom was a single mother, like Yamasaki ?  
  
“A… And your family name, do you know it ?”   
  
“I… I don’t know, Chie is Chie !” she said, puzzled.  
  
“It won’t be easy…” Tsuneo sighed. Seriously, why did Gantz bring children during the missions ? That was cruel.  
  
“Maybe she remembered what had happened before… before being brought in the room ?” Yamasaki suggested.  
  
“Yes, maybe,” Kyo agreed. Tsuneo nodded.  
  
“Chie, do you remember what had happened before we met in the room with the black ball, the other day ?” he asked, serious.  
  
“N… No. I was with my mama and then I was with Nii-san…”  
  
“You… You were with your mama ?” Tsuneo asked, his eyes widening. “Do you remember where you were ? What you were doing ?”  
  
“I… I was with mama in the park.”   
  
“Which park ?” Yamasaki asked gently. “Do you know its name ?”  
  
“N… No… The park…” Chie was beginning to feel the seriousness of the situation. Her eyes filled with tears. “Mama…” she sobbed.  
  
“It’s… It’s really important Chie, try to remember…” Tsuneo pleaded. But Chie couldn’t say anything else.  
  
“I… I don’t know… I want my mama…” she sobbed in Tsuneo’s shirt. He patted her head awkwardly.  
  
“I… I can try to search on the net,” Kyo said hesitantly. “Maybe I’ll find something about a little girl who disappeared near a park ?”  
  
“You think this is enough information ?” Tsuneo asked.  
  
“Well, I’ll try, we’ll see.”  
  
He took his phone and searched on the net, while Tsuneo and Yamasaki were trying to soothe Chie. After a while, she fell asleep, her little hands clutching Tsuneo’s shirt.  
  
“Tsu… Tsuneo ? Can I talk to you ?” Kyo said not too long after, his voice worried.  
  
“Y… Yes ?” He carefully removed Chie’s little fingers from his shirt and put her in Yamasaki’s arms, so he could get up. Kyo dragged him away from the table.  
  
“Did… Did you find something ?” Tsuneo asked.  
  
“Yes, and… It’s not good news…” he answered, serious.  
  
“W… What ? What did you find ?”  
  
“Look.”  
  
Kyo showed him his phone. It was a small article on a local news website.  
  
“ _Reckless driver kills near Utsubo Park.  
  
Yesterday evening, around 7 PM, a reckless driver killed a woman near Utsubo Park, in Nishi-ku, Osaka.  
  
According to witnesses, the woman was walking with her daughter on the pavement when the driver suddenly swerved and hit them.  
  
The man, whose identity hasn’t been made public yet, was arrested without opposing resistance. An alcohol test revealed that he was under the influence of drink. “I’m sorry, I haven’t done it on purpose”, the man would have declared, as reported by his lawyer.  
  
The police still hasn’t found the body of the daughter, a little girl of around 3 years old. The inspector still has hope to find her alive._”  
  
Tsuneo was horrified. It corresponded with Chie. If… If the article was really talking about Chie, that meant that her mom was dead…  
  
“You… You think it’s really her ?” he asked to Kyo, without much hope.  
  
“Yes…” Kyo sighed. “I can keep searching if you want, but everything matches.”  
  
“Y… Yes, I see…” Of course, it was Chie. It was doubtless. “G… Gantz…” he said, shocked. “Why didn’t Gantz transfer her mom in the room too ?”  
  
“Well… Sometimes Gantz acts weirdly. Some time before you came, he even brought a hen.”  
  
“A hen ?” He couldn’t believe it.  
  
“Yea… Surprisingly, it survived quite a long time…”  
  
“Anyway… This article means that… that Chie’s mother is dead,” Tsuneo said. “We can’t tell her !” he decided.  
  
“Why ? You’ll have to tell her eventually, you won’t be able to hide the truth forever.”  
  
“I… I know but… She just went through a lot. She was sent in Italy with me, you know. She had seen people die all around her. I don’t want to tell her that she will never see her mom again. Not now.” Kyo sighed but nodded.  
  
“Anyway, we have to tell Yamasaki,” he said.  
  
They explained everything to Yamasaki in a low voice, while Chie was sleeping on the seat.  
  
“Oh no, poor girl…” Yamasaki said with dismay. “What can we do ?”  
  
“We… We could bring her to the police station,” Tsuneo suggested.  
  
“No !!” Kyo and Yamasaki cried at the same time.  
  
“Eh ? But why ?” He didn’t understand why they didn’t want. It seemed like the best thing to do.  
  
“Ah that’s true, you’re new, you don’t know yet…” Yamasaki said.  
  
“If she talks about the room or the missions to anyone, she’ll die…” Kyo explained. Tsuneo gasped.  
  
“D… Die ? But… how ?”  
  
“It seems we have a… a kind of bomb in our head,” Yamasaki said. “During the mission it prevents us from going out of the zone, but it also forbids us to talk about Gantz to anyone.”  
  
“She belongs to the room now,” Kyo stated.  
  
“I… I see…” Tsuneo sighed. Apparently, neither Kuwabara nor the two girls who had survived the Nurarihyon mission had deemed necessary to warn him about that... It was fortunate that he had decided not to talk about Gantz to anyone from instinct… “Then, bringing her to the police is out of the question, but what else can we do ?”  
  
“I… I don’t know, but…” Yamasaki began, “I won’t be able to keep her forever…”  
  
“Yes, I understand… You have your son, your work…” Tsuneo replied, embarrassed. “But could you… could you keep her a little longer, please, just while I try to find a solution. I’m… I’m only 17, I don’t live on my own yet, I can’t bring a child home. B… But I’ll find a solution, I promise.”  
  
“Ok, I can do that. I’ll keep her for a while.”  
  
“Thank you, Yamasaki,” Tsuneo sighed with relief. “I promise I will find something quickly.”  
  
“Well, I can’t just abandon her,” she said with a half-smile.  
  
“I’m sorry to impose that to you… Oh, and… For the moment I think it’s better not to tell her about her mom. Not now…”  
  
“Yes, I agree. I won’t tell her anything,” she nodded.  
  
“Thanks, really…”  
  
With that decided, Yamasaki carried the sleeping Chie in her arms, and they left the café. Yamasaki and Chie went one way, and Tsuneo and Kyo went the other way.  
  
“You’re going back to your home ?” Kyo asked.  
  
“Y… Yes.” Now that he was alone with Kyo, he was feeling uncomfortable.  
  
“It’s on my way, I’ll walk with you for a while.”  
  
“As you want.”  
  
They walked in silence for a moment. Tsuneo was tensed, and Kyo noticed it. Finally, he stopped at an intersection.  
  
“I’m going this way,” he said.  
  
“O… Ok, good bye then,” Tsuneo replied, not even looking at him. Kyo sighed.  
  
“Are you alright ?” he asked, worried, though he knew Tsuneo was probably tensed because of him.  
  
“Yea, I’m alright,” Tsuneo answered, smiling tentatively, but Kyo knew it was a lie.  
  
“Come on, I can see you’re worried,” he said, rolling his eyes.  
  
“Well, yes… I’m just worried about Chie…” he answered, annoyed. Kyo sighed.  
  
“No, you were already uneasy when we met... Is… Is it because of me ?”  
  
“No !” Tsuneo answered with more force than necessary. “It… It’s just that people at school were already talking about… what happened in Italy,” he explained, though it wasn’t the reason why we was troubled. He couldn’t tell him the truth, that he was feeling guilty for his dead friend who could have been revived. “It’s… only been a few days that I was brought in the room, but it changed so many things…”  
  
“I see…” Kyo sighed, relieved that Tsuneo wasn’t feeling uncomfortable because of him.  
“But… It was the last mission, wasn’t it ? You don’t have to worry anymore.”  
  
“Yea, I guess… But there’s so much that I don’t know… How… How long has Gantz existed ? How does it work ? Why did we never heard about it before, in the medias ?”  
  
“Well, I don’t know much either… But before you arrived, people couldn’t see us, or aliens,” Kyo explained.  
  
“R… Really ? Then, why did it change ?”  
  
“I don’t know. I don’t understand more than you…” he sighed. “But you’ve seen it, Gantz said it was finished. We won’t have to worry about it anymore.”  
  
“Y… Yes, you’re right…”  
  
“And also…” Kyo began, “Try not to worry too much about Chie. I’m sure everything will be alright.”  
  
Tsuneo looked at the ground, feeling a bit down. This day had been full of bad news… Kyo was so nice to him, but he was too guilty to even look at him, how pathetic…  
  
“Eh…” Kyo frowned, and put a hand on Tsuneo’s cheek, gently, but firmly enough to make him look at him. Tsuneo blushed as their eyes met. So Kyo had noticed that he was avoiding looking at him ?  
  
“W… What ?” Tsuneo stuttered.  
  
Kyo hesitated for a second, biting the inside of his cheek, and softly pressed his lips against Tsuneo’s. It was just a quick and soft kiss, nothing like the day before. Tsuneo’s eyes widened as he wondered what that was for. But he didn’t have time to kiss back, he didn’t even have time to wonder if he wanted to kiss back. Kyo broke the kiss and watch him with a sad expression.  
  
“Don’t worry…” he whispered. Tsuneo felt his cheek becoming deep red. But one second later, Kyo had regained his composure. He coughed slightly.  
  
“Well, take care !” he said casually, turned away, and left.  
  
“K… Kyo ?” Tsuneo asked, bewildered. Kyo put on his hood and waved without turning back.  
  
What the… ? Tsuneo hadn’t understood anything. He stared blankly at Kyo’s back, who was already far away, and finally went back home, without thinking.


	4. Yakuza

  
The next day at school, Tsuneo couldn’t focus on the teacher’s voice. He was absent-mindedly scribbling in his notebook and looking out of the window, wondering where Kyo had gone after… after he had kissed him, last evening. Had he gone back to where he lived, where he was forced to prostitute ? Should… Should he had stopped him ? Should he have brought him home this night too ? His parent’s wouldn’t have minded, he thought. Yes, he probably should have…  
  
Wait ! Why was he worrying about Kyo ? What Kyo was doing with his life was none of his business ! He should rather worry about Chie, who didn’t have a home anymore.  
  
Chie was so young, why in the world was she brought in the room ? What the hell was Gantz even thinking ? How could Chie become an alien killer ? That was ridiculous !  
  
Or maybe… Maybe Gantz was offering her a second chance ? Yes, that was it ! Chie was too young to die, and thanks to Gantz, she was still alive ! Gantz wasn’t so cruel, after all. But still, he could have brought her mom back to life too… Now Chie was alone… It was a good thing that Tsuneo had been there to protect her, and that Yamasaki could keep her for a while. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Chie had been alone with someone like Kuwabara…  
  
Tsuneo really had no idea how to help Chie, but he would have to find soon. He had considered asking his parents if he could live on his own, but they would never agree. Firstly, he was still young. Secondly, he didn’t have any money to pay a rent. He could take a part-time job, but then he wouldn’t have much time to focus on his studies. If only his high school was further from home, his parents would probably agree to rent a flat for him, but it wasn’t so far… And thirdly, if he asked them that, they would want to know why. He would never be able to explain why he needed to live with a 3 year-old girl without mentioning Gantz and dying. Even if he just said that Chie’s mom was dead, his parents would bring her to the police station, and she would die. Maybe he could lie, and tell that he just needed to be alone after his friend’s death, but then they wouldn’t let him leave the house, they would just worry for him or send him to see a psychologist…  
  
Damn, why was it so hard ?! If only he was one year older, he would already be in college, living on his own on the campus, and he would be able to take care of Chie… That would be the ideal situation, but he couldn’t ask Yamasaki to keep Chie for a half year until he got to college !  
  
He had to find another solution. If he still hadn’t found anything in a week, he would tell his parents that he wanted to live alone, but that was risky. There must be another way…  
  
But really, living on his own would be ideal. He could live with Chie, taking care of her as her ‘nii-san’. He could also help Kyo move out of the misery and do something honest with his life… He thought about Kyo’s sad expression, when they had kissed yesterday evening. Kyo didn’t want to go back to his old life, that was visible. He had to help him… Yes, Kyo was in need of someone who could help him. Why else would he have got so… so close to him, Tsuneo thought ?  
  
Close… That was a euphemism… Even if they didn’t know each other really well yet, they were more than close… They had both saved each other’s lives, they had hunted aliens together, and then they… well, they had slept together… Tsuneo blushed as he remembered the feeling of Kyo’s naked body in his arms, and a strange warmness filled his chest.  
  
Wait, why was he thinking about Kyo again ?! Why was his mind always wandering back to Kyo ? And why this moment in particular ? He ran a hand on his face. Did… did he like Kyo ?  
  
No ! It wasn’t possible ! He had just liked the physical contact, because it had been his first time, because it meant he wasn’t a virgin anymore, nothing else !  He couldn’t like a boy, really ! He liked girls !  
  
Yet, a part of his mind knew he was just deluding himself. He couldn’t help blushing every time he thought about Kyo. He couldn’t help feeling a flutter in his heart when he thought about Kyo’s beautiful lips and intense eyes. He couldn’t help wanting to put his hands in his fine hair and catch his lips with his own, once more. And he couldn’t prevent his mind from wandering back to Kyo each time he tried to focus on something else…  
  
He also couldn’t help but worry about Kyo, because he had gone back to his old life, because he was forced to sell his body to have a place to live, because the drug was the only thing helping him. He wanted to protect him, to help him regain control of his life, and… and to be there to support him.  
  
Was it true then ? Did he really like Kyo ? It couldn’t be just because he was a fellow gantzer… But yet, they were both boys, and Tsuneo had always thought it was wrong. Not exactly ‘wrong’, but weird, unnatural… It was the way he had been raised.  
  
He started when the bell rang, announcing the lunch break. He hadn’t paid attention to the lesson for what seemed to be five minutes, but so much time had already passed ? Feeling ashamed, he got up and went to lunch. He declined his friends’ invitation to eat with them, saying that he was still feeling a little sick like the previous day, and found a nice quiet spot where he could be alone to eat his bento.   
  
He wanted to text Kyo. He was worried and wanted to know if everything had gone well the last night, but he didn’t know what to say… He couldn’t just ask him what he had done last night like that… It was none of his business anyway… But he wanted to know.  
  
He took his phone and just sent “ _Hey_ ”, immediately regretting this action. He didn’t have to wait for long before receiving Kyo’s answer.  
  
“ _Hey_ ” he just replied. That wasn’t very encouraging…  
  
“ _What’s up ?_ ” Tsuneo texted. God, that was lame…  
  
“ _Nothing much… You’re at school ?_ ”  
  
“ _Yes, it’s lunch break. I’m disturbing you ?_ ”  
  
“ _No. What’s the matter ?_ ”  
  
“ _Nothing, just wanted to know if you were ok_ ” he texted awkwardly. For a while, he didn’t get an answer. Was Kyo upset ? He tensed up.  
  
“ _You worry about me ?_ ” Kyo replied after a while. With a sigh of relief, Tsuneo typed his answer.  
  
“ _… Yes >.<_” At this point, it was useless to lie.  
  
“ _That’s cute ^^_ ” Kyo replied. Tsuneo couldn’t help but smile. “ _Yea, I’m ok_ ”, the rest of his text said.  
  
That wasn’t really what he wanted to know, but he was slightly relieved. He didn’t have time to think about what to say next, because Kyo sent him another text.  
  
“ _Want to hang out after school ?_ ” he asked. Tsuneo blushed at the idea of being alone with him. But maybe it would be the occasion to find out if everything had been alright after he had left last evening. And… if he really liked Kyo…  
  
“ _Sure_ ”, he replied, far less confident than what his text sounded like.  
  
“ _Let’s say at Shinsaibashi Station at 6 pm_ ” Kyo answered.  
  
“ _Ok_ ” he finally sent with a half-smile.  
  
He couldn’t focus for the rest of the day either. He was glad and anxious at the same time. It would be the first time they meet without a precise purpose. The first time, the purpose had only been to help a fellow gantzer in the need, even if it had… got out of hand, and the second time had been to search for Chie’s mom. But seeing each other just to hang out, wouldn’t it be too awkward ? After all, the last times had been pretty awkward…  
  
When the bell finally rang, announcing the end of the school day, Tsuneo hurried back home to get changed. He told his mom he was going to a karaoke with friends, and left.  
  
As the metro approached to Shinsaibashi Station, he grew more and more nervous. He gulped as the doors of the metro opened in front of the station, and remembered to go out just in time, before they closed again.  
  
Kyo was waiting for him at the exit of the station, leaning against a wall, hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He put off his hood when he saw Tsuneo, and came to meet him.  
  
“Hi,” he said with a half-smile. This half-smile was enough to send a flutter in Tsuneo’s heart, given how nervous he was.  
  
“H… Hi,” he answered, blushing. Kyo smiled but didn’t comment.  
  
“I’d like to go to Ame-mura, you don’t mind ?” he asked.  
  
“No, it’s ok,” Tsuneo agreed.  
  
They left the station and went in direction of the shopping area.  
  
“So, how was school,” Kyo asked on the tone of conversation, while they were walking.  
  
“Good, good,” Tsuneo lied. “I couldn’t really focus, I was trying to find a solution for Chie…”  
  
“And did you find anything ?”  
  
“No…” he sighed, hopeless.  
  
“Then stop worrying for today. You’ll have plenty of time to worry tomorrow, but for now you can just relax.”  
  
“Yes, you’re right…” He took a deep breath and relaxed.  
  
“What’s your favorite subject at school ?” Kyo asked suddenly. That surprised Tsuneo.  
  
“I… I don’t know, science ?” he answered. Well, he liked science, it didn’t mean he was good at it. “Why this question ?” he added.  
  
“I want to know you more,” Kyo said, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
“Re… Really ? Then I have to ask questions too, we take turns.”  
  
“Ok,” he agreed.  
  
“Ok… I realized I don’t even know how old you are,” Tsuneo said, blushing slightly.  
  
“I’m 19.”  
  
“19 ! So much ?” he exclaimed, shocked. So Kyo was two years older than him ? Yet he looked younger… Tsuneo had thought they were more or less the same age…  
  
“Yes, so much, young one,” Kyo laughed, poking him in the ribs. “My turn then. What do you want to do when you’re older ?”  
  
They continued playing this game as they wandered in the Amerikamura area, and had a good time. They learned more about each other. Little things like their favorite TV shows, their favorite food, their number of siblings, if they had ever visited other countries, their hobbies, and plenty of other things. For example, Tsuneo had learned that Kyo was pretty skilled with a computer. In fact, he had created himself the program they had used during the mission, to know how many points each target earned.   
  
Surprisingly, Tsuneo didn’t feel awkward, it was easy being around Kyo. It wasn’t really a good time to ask him more serious things though, like how he had died, why had his parents kicked him out, or what he had done during the last night, so he put these questions in a corner of his mind and enjoyed the moment.  
  
They spent the evening in the shopping area and ate at a fast food restaurant. After that, they wandered aimlessly in less frequented streets, going where their feet led them. It was good, forgetting about his worries and just hang out with a ‘friend’.  
  
“It was fun tonight,” Kyo said, his voice regretful as he knew it was getting late, and Tsuneo would soon have to go back home.  
  
“Yes,” Tsuneo smiled. “I could stop worrying for a few hours, thank you.”  
  
Kyo blushed and looked elsewhere, putting his hands in his pockets.  
  
“You… You know,” he began, “It’d be great if we could hang out like that again, sometimes…”  
  
“Y… Yea, sure,” Tsuneo answered, taken aback by his change of attitude.  
  
“B… Because… I like you, Tsuneo…” he said, suddenly looking into Tsuneo’s eyes. His intense eyes were sad, almost pleading. Tsuneo felt the blood coming to his cheek as their eyes met and he stayed silent, frozen. It was the second time Kyo told him that he liked him.  
  
“S… Sorry,” Kyo sighed as he saw that Tsuneo wasn’t answering. “Forget that. I… I don’t know what I was expecting…”  
  
“N… No, it’s… it’s ok,” Tsuneo stuttered, his cheeks deep red. “I… I think I… like you… too…” Oh god, he had said it…   
  
“Se… Seriously ?” Kyo answered after a while, shocked. He couldn’t believe his ears.   
  
“Well… all of this is… is strange for me,” he explained. “I… I still can’t… believe that I feel that for a boy, but… it’s true…”  
  
Kyo smiled and looked around, as if to check that nobody could see them. He came closer and softly kissed him. Tsuneo hesitated for a second, ashamed to do that in public, but there was nobody around, so he relaxed and kissed back, cupping Kyo’s face in his hands.  
  
He had to stop thinking in terms of boys and girls. Kyo was a human being. They were both human beings. What was wrong with liking another human being ? Nothing was wrong. Or if anything was wrong, it didn’t matter anymore. So he tenderly put a hand in Kyo’s hair, continuing to kiss him. It didn’t even matter if someone saw them. At the moment, he could only think about Kyo’s delicious lips on his own, and his soft hair under his fingers.   
  
“So, are we… dating ?” he asked, unsure, after they had stopped kissing. He blushed, but felt relieved, now that he had accepted his own feelings. It wasn’t so hard, after all.  
  
“Yes, if it’s what you want,” Kyo answered, amused by Tsuneo’s innocence.  
  
“Hum,” he nodded. “But… If we are dating, I… I can’t let you… You… You have to stop doing… what you do…”  
  
“Doing what I do ?” Kyo asked, puzzled. “Oh…” he added a moment after, understanding that Tsuneo was asking him to stop selling his body. “I… I don’t do that for pleasure, you know ?”  
  
“I… I know, that’s not what I mean !” Tsuneo replied, embarrassed. “I mean… I want to help you get out of this.”  
  
“How ? I have no other place to live, no money, and I can’t find a job since I dropped out of school.” He sighed. “It’s nice of you to worry about me, but don’t worry. I do what I must to survive. I… I don’t need help.” His voice hesitated on the last words, proving that it was a lie.  
  
“It... It makes me sick to think that you had to go back there last night… I… I should have brought you home again…” Tsuneo complained, running a hand on his face. He felt guilty. He had made the choice to revive Kyo, so he had to protect him, right ?  
  
“You can’t house me forever…” Kyo sighed. “Besides, I didn’t go back there last night.”  
  
“But… Where did you sleep ?”  
  
“I… I just wandered, you know, here and there…” he answered with a half-smile.  
  
“W… Why ?” Tsuneo was horrified. He cursed himself. Kyo’s situation was as bad as Chie’s…  
  
“I’ve… been dead for a half week. When I come back, they probably won’t be happy to see me…”  
  
“Then don’t go back !” he almost shouted, horrified at the thought of what they would do to him. Kyo chuckled.  
  
“Ahah don’t worry, with the suit I’ll be alright. I just wanted to enjoy a last night of freedom.”  
  
The suit ! It suddenly clicked in Tsuneo’s head.  
  
“Gantz !” he exclaimed, eyes widening.  
  
“Gantz ?” Kyo repeated, confused.  
  
“You can live in the room !” It was so obvious ! Why hadn’t they thought about that earlier ? But Kyo didn’t seem enthusiast.  
  
“Idiot…” he said. “It’s the first thing I tried after I died. But the door closes itself after we go out. I tried, I even tried with the X-gun, but I couldn’t get in.”  
  
“Oh… I see…” Tsuneo felt his enthusiasm melt. Maybe Kyo could have stayed inside after a mission ? But then he would have had to stay inside all the time, or the door would close behind him. He wouldn’t even be able to go buy food or to find a job. And anyway, now that the missions were over, it wasn’t possible anymore. They would never be called in that room again. Now it was just a normal room…  
  
“Wait !” Tsuneo exclaimed, regaining hope. “Now that the missions are over, maybe we can go in ? Maybe it’s just an ordinary flat now ?” Kyo thought about it for a while.  
  
“W… Well, I haven’t tried, but… you may be right… No, I don’t see why it would be different now…”  
  
“It’s worth a try, isn’t it ?!” he said with energy.  
  
“Y… Yea, I guess,” Kyo answered, confused. “Ok, let’s go…”  
  
The building where Gantz was situated was near the Tsutenkaku tower, only twenty minutes by metro from where they were. On the way, Kyo tried to stay calm, but his hopes were growing as they got closer and closer. He didn’t want to be disappointed if it didn’t work, but he couldn’t help it. Tsuneo was tensed too. He was afraid to have given false hopes to Kyo and couldn’t think about what he would do if it didn’t work.  
  
When they finally arrived in front of the well-known door, Kyo was ready to turn around and left. He felt stupid to have even come here. But he took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.  
  
“It… It works !” he whispered, astonished, as he slowly pushed the door.  
  
The inside was exactly as they remembered. Only two days at passed since the last time they saw the apartment, but it felt strange anyway. The black sphere was still there, in the middle of the main room.  
  
“It’s… amazing…” Kyo whispered as he walked around the room.  
  
The apartment consisted in five rooms, plus the corridor. The main room was devoid of any furniture, apart from the black sphere. There was also a small kitchen, but it seemed that the fridge and all the cupboards were empty. In the room in the back of the apartment, the bikes and swords were still there.  
  
“Awesome…” Tsuneo whistled.  
  
“The two other doors had always refused to open,” Kyo said. “I wonder if they will open now…”  
  
Feeling nervous, he tuned the doorknob of the room next to the one with the bikes. It worked.  
  
“It’s a bedroom,” he said, entering inside.  
  
The room was almost empty. There was only a large bed which seemed to have never been used, and a bedside table with a lamp on it. Then the other room obviously was…  
  
“A bathroom,” Tsuneo announced, his voice coming from the corridor. Kyo joined him. There was a shower cubicle, a washbasin, and toilets. All of these seemed new.  
  
“It… It looks like one of these model apartments, used by real estate agencies…” Kyo thought aloud. It was… disturbing… He had heard rumors, saying that Gantz had been made by the hands of men, but he had never given them credence. This new fact, however, seemed to prove them right…  
  
“We entered so easily…” he continued. “Is it true, then ? It’s really over ?”  
  
“The sphere is still here, and the bikes too,” Tsuneo said, thoughtful. “I don’t understand anything…”  
  
“Me neither…”  
  
“Anyway, you can live here !” Tsuneo exclaimed, reminding them of why they had come here in the first place.  
  
“Ca… Can I ? Really ? I can be free…” It seemed too good to be true. For years he had lived in a brothel run by yakuzas, forced to prostitute to earn his pittance. He had even died and had been forced to fight for his life against aliens without knowing why. And now, all of this was over ? He would really be free ?  
  
“Yes, you can be free ! You can live here, and then search for a job.”  
  
Kyo nodded. It was the best thing to do. But there was something he needed to do before.  
  
“I have to go back there,” he announced, determined. “I have to tell them it’s over.”  
  
“Eh ? Can’t… Can’t you just disappear ?” Tsuneo didn’t understand. Going back seemed dangerous.  
  
“No, I need to put a definitive end to this. Besides, I have to get my belongings back.”  
  
“Oh I see… Well, tomorrow…” he began.  
  
“No,” Kyo cut him. “I want to go now.”  
  
“Now ? But… it’s already late…”  
  
“You don’t have to come, it’s none of your business…”  
  
“No, it… it can be dangerous. I’ll come with you,” he decided. Kyo sighed.  
  
“As you want… You have your suit ?”  
  
“Y… Yes, in my bag,” he said. He thought it was safer to always have it with him. And it was a good thing, he thought, because if he didn’t have it with him when he was brought in the room a few days ago, he would have died in Italy.  
  
“It’s just a precaution, but put it anyway,” Kyo said. He wasn’t planning on fighting, but it was wiser not to go there unprotected.  
  
When they were ready, they went out. Anxious, Kyo tried to open the door again, just to make sure that it was really open. It worked. Reassured, they left the building.  
  
They took the metro to the border of the city and then walked until they arrived in a red-light district, with seedy nightclubs and clandestine casinos. Tsuneo noticed that Kyo was growing more and more nervous as they approached their destination.  
  
“You… You’re ok ? You don’t have to do this, you know ?” he said hesitantly. Kyo took a deep breath.  
  
“It’s nothing… I… I’m just afraid I won’t be able to control myself and I’ll end up killing them all…”  
  
Tsuneo didn’t know what to say. In Kyo’s place, he would probably want to kill them, they deserved it. But they were human beings, even their lives had a meaning. And he didn’t want Kyo to become a criminal…  
  
“It’s here,” Kyo finally said, stopping in front of a nightclub, which was actually a disguised brothel. “W… Wait outside.”  
  
“Are… Are you sure ?” Tsuneo was a little afraid to stay alone in this disreputable neighborhood, but he didn’t want to go inside either.  
  
“Yes,” Kyo said. “I need to do it alone.”  
  
“A… Alright then…” he agreed. “Promise me you… you won’t kill anyone.”  
  
“Yea, I’ll try…” Kyo answered with a half-smile, though his hands were slightly shaking. He sighed. “I won’t be long.”  
  
He took a deep breath and entered in the seedy club. He went straight to the stairs that led to the higher floors, were the ‘real’ business of the club took place. Some people watched him as he walked, recognizing him. He passed in front of one of his ‘co-worker’, a young crossdresser wearing a kimono. He was engaged in an intense discussion with a potential customer, but stopped when he saw Kyo.  
  
“Kyo !” he called, leaving his customer to see him. He seemed relieved. “Thanks god you’re alive ! We were all worried…” he gulped. “You shouldn’t have come back… If the boss finds you, you’re gonna have a hard time…”  
  
“I’m not afraid of him. I’m just here to get my things, then I’ll disappear forev…” He was cut by the appearance of one of the yakuzas, who was going downstairs.  
  
“Eh !” he exclaimed, recognizing Kyo. “You’re coming with me. The boss will be happy to see you.” He grabbed his arm to force him to come. With the suit, Kyo could have easily resisted, but he didn’t protest. He smiled reassuringly to his friend, who was horrified, and followed the yakuza downstairs.  
  
They arrived in a heavily decorated room full of people. At the door, two yakuzas were standing guard. One of them had a baseball bat, though they both had guns at their belt. There were several people in the room, gambling or just smoking, entertained by beautiful young men. Kyo remembered this room, since he used to be one of these young men.  
  
The boss was playing cards in the back of the room, a half-naked boy on his lap. He didn’t pay any attention to Kyo until someone whispered something in his ear. He raised his head and looked at Kyo above his sunglasses.  
  
“Well, well, Kyo, what a surprise ! You know, I lost a shitload of money when your pretty face wasn’t there. You have a good explanation, of course ?”  
  
“I’m… I’m leaving,” he announced, not as confident as he intended. “I’m leaving this place. I won’t work for you anymore.”  
  
“Eh ? Leaving ?” the boss put a hand behind his ear, as if he hadn’t heard. “I don’t think that will do.” He made a sign of the head, and two yakuzas grabbed Kyo and threw him on the ground, beginning to hit him. Of course, Kyo couldn’t feel the pain, thanks to the suit, but he was nervous. He felt a bead of sweat rolling on his temple as he breathed heavily, trying to calm down. If he wasn’t careful, he would kill them. So he did nothing and endured the beating.  
  
“Enough,” the boss said after a while of hitting and kicking. The yakuzas grabbed Kyo by the arms and pushed him head first on the table.  
  
“I don’t allow my boys to leave,” he continued. “You’re gonna do what I’m paying you to do, and you’re gonna do it now. Take off his pants,” he said to one of the yakuzas who were holding him.  
  
That was bad… They must not find the suit, he had to do something. He gritted his teeth. It was very hard controlling himself...  
  
He felt a hand on his bottom and suddenly reacted. Trying not to put too much force, he sent one of the yakuzas flying across the room.  
  
“What the… ?” the other began, but screamed as Kyo broke his arm. Then he walked to the boss.  
  
“Wh… What do you think you’re doing !” the boss exclaimed. Trying not to hurt him, Kyo pushed aside the young prostitute, who was in shock. Then he grabbed the boss by the neck and lifted him, until his feet didn’t touch the ground anymore. The guard at the door had drawn their guns, but didn’t dare firing, in fear of touching the boss.  
  
“I said I’m leaving ! It’s over !” he shouted. He felt his fingers tightening themselves around the boss’ neck, as easily as if he was a rag doll. He smiled at the choking sounds of the boss. It was so easy. He could kill him if he wanted, he could crush him in his hand like an insect.   
  
He had promised Tsuneo that he wouldn’t kill, but it was so tempting… And Tsuneo would never know what had happened, right ? He… He just had to tighten his fingers a little bit more… Soon, the boss would choke to death, or his neck would break…  
  
Kyo was breathing heavily, his hands shaking. He could do it. He could watch him die. He could kill a man, a human being…  
  
Why couldn’t he do that ? Why was it so different, killing an alien and killing a human being ? Cursing himself, he released the boss and let him fall on the ground, choking and trying to breathe.  
  
“Con… Consider yourself lucky that I don’t kill you…” he said, running a hand on his face. Without waiting for the boss to recover, he fled the room, throwing another yakuza on the ground on the way, and hurried to go upstairs, to his former room.  
  
As fast as he could, he put all his belongings in a bag. Fortunately, he didn’t have many things. A few clothes, two or three books, some money he had hardly saved during these years, and of course his beloved laptop. The one he used to bring during the mission was definitively lost, but he had to at least save this one.  
  
When everything was packed, he hurried to go downstairs. But the yakuzas were already after him.  
  
“Kill this fucker !” the boss ordered as soon as he saw him, a hand still massaging his neck. Kyo didn’t have time to run in the other direction, because one of the yakuzas fired straight at his head.  
  
The strength of the impact sent him to the ground, and for a moment, they thought he was dead.  
  
“Damn, it hurts…” he groaned, getting back on his feet. The suit had protected him, but it felt like he had been knocked down.  
  
The yakuzas were stunned to see him still alive. A bullet in the head should have killed him, but he didn’t even have a mark on his forehead.  
  
“What the… ?”  
  
“B… Boss ?”  
  
The boss was staying still, his mouth half-opened in shock. But Kyo didn’t wait for him to come to his senses. He ran and jumped through a window, landing in the middle of broken glass in the street, where Tsuneo was waiting for him.  
  
“Run !” he yelled to a bewildered Tsuneo. He caught his arm and they hurried to leave the place.  
  
With the suit, they ran too fast for the yakuzas to reach them, and soon they were out of danger.  
  
“W…What happened !” Tsuneo asked, confused. “Why did you jump through the window ?” But Kyo was laughing.  
  
“You should have seen your face !” he laughed, holding his sides.  
  
“It’s not funny… I had never seen anything like this except in mangas !”  
  
“I did it, Tsuneo, I did it ! I’m free !” he almost shouted, elated. With a grin, he jumped in his arms and kissed him.  
  
“Eww…” an old woman with a poodle uttered, looking at them with disgust as she passed by. Tsuneo blushed, embarrassed, but Kyo gave her the finger and the woman hurried to go away, afraid.  
  
“Tsk… We’re in Osaka, not in the middle of the countryside…” Kyo complained. Tsuneo didn’t answer. A few days ago, he would have probably reacted the same way as this old woman, with disgust…  
  
They went back to the flat, hand in hand. Kyo couldn’t hide his joy, and Tsuneo was happy to see him like that. When they arrived in front of the door, Kyo tensed up a little, as his hand touched the doorknob, but it opened exactly like before.  
  
“Home !” he exclaimed as he went inside. “Who would have thought that I’d be happy to see this room one day !” Tsuneo chuckled.  
  
“Well, now that it’s done, I’ll go back home.”  
  
“No, stay !” Kyo said, catching his arm. Tsuneo blushed.  
  
“A… Alright…” He would have problems tomorrow if he didn’t go back home, but who cared ? “I… I’ll let you settle down, I’m going to find a konbini. All these emotions made me hungry.”  
  
He found a konbini in a nearby street and bought instant noodles. When he was back, they remembered that there wasn’t even a table or chairs in the flat, so they ate in bed, watching a movie on Kyo’s laptop.  
  
After the noodles had been quickly eaten, Kyo came snuggling closer in Tsuneo’s arms, resting his head on his shoulder as they watched the rest of the movie. Tsuneo smiled, closing his arms around his boyfriend, content. This feeling, was it happiness ? Yes, it must be. Feeling Kyo’s warm body in his arms, his hair on his cheek, and his hand on his chest, that was great. He wanted to stay like that forever.  
  
But something was bugging him. He couldn’t help worrying about what people would say. If his family learned that he had a boyfriend, how would they react ? Would they be disgusted, like this old woman earlier ? Would they kick him out of home ?  
  
“Can… Can I ask you something ?” he asked, after the movie was over.  
  
“Hum ?” Kyo replied, surprised, watching Tsuneo’s face.  
  
“You don’t… have to answer if you don’t want but… Why… Why did your parents kicked you out ? Is… Is it because you brought a boyfriend home ?”  
  
Kyo sighed and looked elsewhere. He seemed annoyed to talk about that, but he probably knew what kind of questionings Tsuneo was facing, so he answered anyway.  
  
“No… I knew how my parents were, I’d have never brought someone home… It… It’s just that a neighbor saw me kissing a guy, one day. We weren’t even close to home, I didn’t think someone I know would see us but… Then this neighbor told my parents, there was a huge argument, and I was thrown out… It’s been 3 years.”  
  
“I… I see…” So Kyo had spent 3 years exploited by yakuzas just because he had… kissed a guy ? That was horrible. What kind of parents could do that to their child ?  
  
“You’re worrying about what your family would think ?” Kyo asked.  
  
“Y… Yes…” he sighed. Kyo put a hand on his cheek and looked at him tenderly.  
  
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Your family seems nice, they have nothing to do with mine.”  
  
“Hum…” Tsuneo looked elsewhere, not really reassured. He had to hide Gantz, he had to hide Chie, and now he had to hide that he had a boyfriend… As if it wasn’t difficult enough.  
  
“Eh…” Kyo whispered, looking in his eyes. “We’re not doing anything wrong.” He pressed his lips against Tsuneo’s, gently. That brought a smile back on his face.  
  
“Yea, I guess you’re right…” he said, and kissed back. Kyo’s warm lips were reassuring. They weren’t doing anything wrong. Denying his feelings would be wrong, not accepting them. Yes, he liked a boy, and it didn’t matter, because he couldn’t do anything about it. And when he kissed Kyo, when he felt his body so close to his, he didn’t want to do anything about it. He just wanted to enjoy.  
  
He had to thank Gantz for all this happiness. Gantz had offered him a second chance, after he had died. Gantz had allowed him to revive Kyo, his savior, who had now become his boyfriend. And now, thanks to Gantz, Kyo had been able to get out of the misery, and they could enjoy a peaceful night, in the arms of each other, without any worries. Gantz was a blessing.  
  
When Tsuneo went home this morning, before dawn, he had no idea that in a few hours, the sun would rise over a red sky.


	5. Katastrophe

“It’s so creepy…”  
  
“The color of blood…”  
  
“Awesome !”  
  
“Pfff, it’s just because of the global warming, cowards…”  
  
“In the news they said that it’s the same in the US !”  
  
Nobody could focus on the lesson. Everybody was wondering why the sky was red today. Even the teacher was debating with the students. Some of them were scared, but most were just intrigued. Nobody had ever heard of such a red sky before, and the global warming hypothesis seemed to be the most credible.   
  
Tsuneo was tensed. This red sky, could it have been caused by aliens ? He couldn’t talk about it with his classmates, but he didn’t see any other explanation. Why would the global warming suddenly turn the sky red ? Global warming was something slow, it wouldn’t happen in only one day.  
  
He didn’t know what to think. It couldn’t have anything to do with Gantz, since the missions were over, right ? Or were there some aliens who haven’t been targeted by Gantz yet ? He used to bring his suit with him in a bag, but this morning he had found it safer to wear it under his clothes. Who knew what could happen ?  
  
At the exact moment when he was wondering that, the door suddenly opened.  
  
“Tsuneo !” the newcomer yelled.  
  
It was Kyo ! He seemed panicked, and was carrying one of these big guns who crushed their targets in the ground. The Z-gun, Tsuneo thought he had heard this name during the Nurarihyon mission.  
  
What was Kyo doing here, in his highschool ? How had he found his classroom ? And why did he have a Z-gun ? People would obviously see it, he wasn’t even trying to hide it ! Gantz should have killed him ! And this panicked expression…  
  
“K… Kyo ?” he asked, bewildered.  
  
“Oi you, who are you !” the teacher shouted to Kyo. “What class are you in ?”  
  
Kyo ignored him and the other students who were looking at him, some scared, some amused.  
  
“Hurry up !” he exclaimed.  
  
“Who is this moron ?” some students said.  
  
“That thing, it… it’s a weapon ?”  
  
“Nikaido, you know him ?”  
  
Hesitantly, Tsuneo got up and walked toward the door.  
  
“Wh… Nikaido ! I forbid you to leave !” the teacher shouted, but Tsuneo ignored him. If Kyo had come all the way here, with guns, it must be very important. It probably had something to do with the red sky.  
  
“We must hurry !” Kyo said, grabbing his arm and running in the corridor. Behind, the teacher was threatening to inform the principal about this.  
  
“What’s happening ?!” he exclaimed, running behind Kyo.  
  
“You have your suit ?”  
  
“Yes, but…”  
  
“Take this and hurry ! We have to find Yamasaki !” Kyo took an X-shotgun from his bag, where he seemed to be carrying a lot of weapons, and gave it to Tsuneo. He took it awkwardly, wondering the meaning of all this.  
  
“You… You know what this red sky is ?”  
  
“I’m not sure. I’ll explain when we find Yamasaki.”  
  
They were running in the streets now, going in the direction of the metro station. Kyo tried to call Yamasaki on her phone, but she didn’t answer.  
  
“Damn ! You know where she lives ?” he asked.  
  
“N… No, why would I know that ! But last time we met in Chayamachi, maybe she lives near !”  
  
That made sense, so they hurried to the Chayamachi district, continuing to try to call Yamasaki on the way.  
  
Seeing Kyo panicking like that, Tsuneo began to be very worried too. What was this red sky announcing ? Why did they need weapons ? He didn’t understand anything.  
  
Finally, Yamasaki answered her phone, and tell them where she lived, not so far from Chayamachi. They hurried to her building, and soon they were together.  
  
“K… Kyo ! Tsuneo ! What’s happening !” she said, opening her door and letting them run inside.  
  
“Put on your suit ! Tsuneo, help Chie put on hers !” Kyo ordered without wasting time. He had taken Chie’s suit from the Gantz room, and took it out of his bag. They did as told without arguing, feeling that it was important.  
  
Tsuneo went in the living room, where Chie was kneeling around a low table with a little boy, who must be Jun, Yamasaki’s son. They were drawing on some papers, their hands stained with colorful ink.  
  
“Nii-san !” Chie exclaimed happily as she saw Tsuneo, unaware of the situation. “You come to play with me ? I made this for you !” She handed him a drawing of smiling stick figures, where the biggest figure was holding the hand of the smallest, and firing at a monster. It was cute, and Tsuneo felt touched, but he didn’t have time for that…  
  
“Chie, you have to put this suit, it’s really important,” he said, showing her the suit. She pouted, disappointed.  
  
“No ! I don’t want !”  
  
“Come on…” he pleaded. He took the drawing. “It’s a really beautiful drawing, thank you,” he said, patting Chie’s head. “Now, put on the suit, please !”  
  
“Nooo !” She ran in another room.  
  
With a sigh, Tsuneo followed her, but Yamasaki came to his rescue. She had finished putting on her suit, and with her help, they forced Chie to put on hers.  
  
“Now, can you explain what’s happening ?” she said to Kyo.  
  
“I… I’m not sure…” he began. “One day I heard Oka saying that… that he kept asking for more powerful weapons each time he got 100 points because he was preparing for a… a Katastrophe…”  
  
“A Katastrophe ?” Tsuneo and Yamasaki repeated, incredulous.  
  
“What does it mean ?”  
  
“Does it have something to do with this red sky ?”  
  
“I told you I’m not sure !” Kyo exclaimed, irritated. “But something bad will happen… Why else would Oka want to accumulate powerful weapons ?”  
  
“What ? What will happen ?” Tsuneo cried, beginning to panic.  
  
“My son doesn’t have a suit !” Yamasaki said, taking Jun in her arms. “What can we do ?! I have to protect him !”  
  
“I don’t know ! As long as we don’t know what’s happening, we can’t do anything !” Kyo exclaimed.  
  
“Nii-san !” Chie called from the living room. She was pointing at the window.  
  
All of them looked at the red sky, in shock. Hundreds, thousands of objects were falling from the sky. Meteorites ? No, it looked like metal…  
  
“What the… ?” Tsuneo whispered, unable to move.  
  
They didn’t have time to react, as the objects crashed in the ground, everywhere in Osaka. Something must have fallen near their building, because a huge shock wave blew the windows and sent them to the ground. The whole building was shaking. When it was over, the building was leaning like the Tower of Pisa, with cracks in the floors and walls.  
  
“W… What was that ?” Kyo exclaimed, getting on his feet.  
  
“Jun, are you ok ?!” Yamasaki asked to her son. She had protected him in her arms, so he wasn’t hurt. He was just afraid and crying from the shock.  
  
Chie was crying too. She had been thrown against the wall by the shock wave, but thanks to the suit, she wasn’t harmed. Tsuneo hurried to take her in his arms.  
  
“We have to go out !”  
  
They all left the building. In the street, people were panicking, running or staying frozen. The impact had been close, fragments of buildings, cars, and even corpses were scattered over the ground. Some people were pointing at the end of the street.  
  
“What the hell…” Kyo muttered, freezing in place.  
  
At the end of the street, the falling object had destroyed a whole building. It was a huge metallic structure, bigger than the building it had destroyed. And it was now beginning to move.  
  
“It’s… a robot ?” Tsuneo asked, watching the object with round eyes.  
  
Indeed, a giant robot began walking. It was bipedal, with a head looking like a hammer. One of its ‘arms’ looked like a huge canon. Wait… It was a canon ! For a short moment, the robot seemed to gather energy, and fired at a nearby skyscraper, which collapsed under the shock.  
  
“Oh no…” Yamasaki exclaimed.  
  
“We… We’re all dead !” Tsuneo panicked.  
  
Kyo gritted his teeth. This thing was so huge ! They couldn’t do anything…  
  
“R… Run…” he whispered, staring at the robot. “R… Run ! We have to hide somewhere !”  
  
“W… Where ? This thing is too big ! It will kill us wherever we go !” Tsuneo argued, crying.  
  
“In the basement !” Yamasaki shouted. “Somewhere deep in the ground !”  
  
She began running, with her son in the arms, but Kyo and Tsuneo were frozen. Another building exploded, destroyed by the giant robot, and they finally reacted, following Yamasaki.  
  
They went toward the nearest metro station. It seemed that a lot of people had had the same idea, and everybody was running in the same direction, crying and shouting.  
  
Suddenly, something fell on the crowd in front of them, killing several people. It was two giant humanoid armors, who had jumped from a strange black aircraft. They were around 10 meters high, far smaller than the giant robots, but still giant. Were they robots too ? Or mechas ? Or armors with giant aliens inside ?  
  
“Th… These things… They’re aliens ?” Tsuneo stuttered. Chie was sobbing in his arms, too afraid to say anything. Around them, people were fleeing in every direction, yelling.  
  
The two black armors raised their canons and opened fire. The canons threw giant circular saws, killing, dismembering, beheading people on their way and splattering blood everywhere.  
  
“Run, Kyo, we have to run !” Tsuneo shouted in his ear, but Kyo didn’t seem to hear him. He was gritting his teeth, a bead of sweat running on his temple.  
  
“I’ll kill them…” he whispered. “I’m gonna kill them myself…”  
  
“What are you saying ? We must flee !” Tsuneo said, shaking him. Kyo looked at him and smiled. His eyes were glimmering from… excitement ?  
  
“Run if you want, I’m gonna kill them,” he said, his voice calm. He gave his bag full of weapon to Tsuneo, took a deep breath, and ran toward the giants.  
  
“Oh no…” Tsuneo complained.  
  
“What is he doing !” Yamasaki exclaimed, shocked.  
  
“Take Chie with you, I… I’m going too…” he said with a gulp.  
  
Yamasaki argued, but he didn’t let her the choice. He put Chie on the ground and threw the bag of weapons at Yamasaki’s feet.  
  
He was afraid. His hands were shaking. His whole body was shaking. He was crying and his nose was running uncontrollably. He must offer a pathetic spectacle. But he had to help Kyo. His hands tighten around his X-shotgun, and he ran toward the giants too, yelling like crazy.  
  
Kyo was avoiding the saws, but with two adversaries, he didn’t have time to fire with the Z-gun. Crying, Tsuneo fired as many time as he could at one of the giants’ foot. When its foot exploded, making the giant fall on the ground, Kyo could finally use the Z-gun on the other giant, which was instantly slammed in the ground.  
  
Tsuneo was firing at the other giant which was on the ground, injuring it, but the giant was straightening and raising its canon once more. Kyo quickly killed it with the Z-gun.  
  
“Did it !” he said with a smile. He seemed to almost enjoy himself. Tsuneo however, was panting and crying.  
  
“Watch out !” someone shouted. They turned back, but too late. One of the giant had come out of his destroyed armor, almost naked, and fired a lightning from his hand, sending Tsuneo fly across the street.  
  
“No !” Kyo yelled, and fired with the Z-gun until the alien was nothing more than a pool of blood. Without wasting time, he did the same thing to the other alien, killing him before he had time to come out of his armor.  
  
Then he ran toward Tsuneo, afraid, and kneeled next to his body.  
  
“Tsuneo !” he cried, shaking him. After a while, Tsuneo blinked.  
  
“Ouch… That hurts…” he said, sitting up. With a sigh of relief, Kyo hugged him and laughed.  
  
“Don’t scare me like that !”  
  
“It… It didn’t touch me directly, I was just thrown away by the explosion… But all my clothes have burnt…” He readjusted his glasses, which were miraculously intact.  
  
Around them, people were applauding and cheering them.  
  
“Amazing !”  
  
“Thank you so much !”  
  
“Thank you !”  
  
“You’re the best !”  
  
“Nii-san !” Chie ran toward them and jumped in Tsuneo’s arms, followed by Yamasaki.  
  
“Are you alright !?” she said, her voice worried.  
  
“Y… Yes, the suit protected me.”  
  
“So these things are giant aliens ?” Kyo said, getting on his feet. “Damn, that was that, the Katastrophe ? If only Oka was still there…”  
  
When Tsuneo was on his feet, they continued their walk to the metro station. The crowd was following them, feeling it was safer to stay with them. With the Z-gun, the aliens seemed easy to kill, but Kyo only had one. Tsuneo and Yamasaki shared the other weapons in the bag. In addition to his shotgun, Tsuneo took an X-gun and a sword, and Yamasaki took a shotgun too and a sword.  
  
When they arrived in the metro station, they told everyone to hide there.  
  
“W… What can we do now ?” Tsuneo asked.  
  
“Nothing. I’m staying with my son,” Yamasaki said.  
  
“Tsuneo, together we can go kill more of them,” Kyo suggested with a smile, touching his Z-gun.  
  
“Y… Yes, we can save other people,” he agreed, though he was afraid. But it was possible to kill these giants, and now that they knew how they attacked, they could do it without getting hurt. “Chie, you’ll have to stay here with Yamasaki, alright ?” She didn’t answer and only sobbed, her little arms tightening around Tsuneo’s neck. Yamasaki took her in her arms.  
  
“Don’t get hurt,” she said, worried.  
  
Tsuneo nodded, and they went out. It wasn’t long until they found two other aliens, busy killing people.  
  
“Alright. We do exactly like last time. I distract them while you fire at their feet, and then I finish them with the Z-gun,” Kyo announced.  
  
“Hum,” Tsuneo nodded, stressed. He was scared, but he had the easiest task. He could do it.  
  
“Let’s go !” Kyo exclaimed. He ran in front of the giants, distracting them from the crowd they were targeting.  
  
Without wasting time, Tsuneo fired at their feet, not only once, but as much as he could, until their feet exploded, making them fall on the ground. Kyo immediately used the Z-gun to crush them, and use it again and again to prevent them from going out of their armors.  
“Easy !” Kyo smiled, giving Tsuneo a high five.  
  
The people around were acclaiming them, like the last time, and they led them to the metro station.  
  
They repeated this operation two other times.  
  
“There’s something strange,” Tsuneo noticed after they had killed another couple of aliens.  
  
“You mean, apart from the giant aliens attacking Earth ?”  
  
“Hum ? Yes, it looks like they’re trying to drive the crowd somewhere. We should go take a look.”  
  
They told the people they had saved to go to the metro station, and they went in the opposite direction, where the aliens were trying to lead the crowd.  
  
They arrived in a square, where several aliens were standing. A lot of humans where there, running, with other aliens at their back. They were running straight inside some giant cages, where they were parked like animals. Then, the cages closed their doors and took off, going away in the sky, until they disappeared from sight.  
  
“What the hell… ?” Kyo whispered.  
  
“They… They’re capturing them ?” Tsuneo said. “So their goal is not to kill us now, but to capture us ? Why ?”  
  
“I don’t have a good feeling about this…”  
  
“Do… Do you thing we can save them ?”  
  
“No… There’re too many giants. Even with the Z-gun, we can’t do anything.”  
  
“But we can’t let them be captured…” he complained. Kyo sighed.  
  
“The only thing we can do is trying to find them upstream, where there are only two of them, and to save as much people as we can…”  
  
That sounded like the best thing to do, so they went back to work. But as they arrived in front of another couple of aliens, Tsuneo jumped.  
  
“Ah !” he exclaimed, his eyes widening, looking at Kyo’s head.  
  
“What ?”  
  
“Y… You’re being transferred !”  
  
“Eh ?” Kyo said with a grimace. But the transfer reached his eyes and he could see that it was true. “What the…” he began, but the transfer reached his mouth.  
  
When Kyo’s upper body had disappeared, Tsuneo began to be transferred too.  
  
They arrived in a square with a lot of other gantzers. Nobody seemed to understand where they were and why. In the crowd, they spotted Yamasaki and Chie.  
  
“Yamasaki !” they called, joining her.  
  
“Tsuneo, Kyo !” she replied. She was crying. “My… my son ! He wasn’t transferred ! He’s alone !”  
  
“Oh no…” Tsuneo sighed. “That’s horrible…”  
  
“Your attention !!” someone shouted. “Listen ! Your attention please !”  
  
All the gantzers turned toward the voice. Several people wearing Gantz suits were standing behind a raw of black spheres, exactly like the one in the room. The spheres were open, forming a wall around them.  
  
“You are in Tokyo,” one of the man announced. “We have gathered you from all the Kansai ! Look behind you !”  
  
They all turned back and looked at what the man was pointing.  
  
“Un… Unbelievable…” Tsuneo managed to say. Something huge was standing over Tokyo. Was it… a spaceship ? It was so huge, its ‘legs’ taller than the tallest skyscraper, and its shadow covering several neighborhoods. Something like that couldn’t exist…  
  
“This is the enemy spaceship ! We have sent every gantzers from Kanto to fight inside, and now you’re going to help them !”  
  
“What ?!”  
  
“By what right ?”  
  
“What the hell ?”  
  
“Who are you, fuckers ?!”  
  
“We control those black spheres !” the man announced. “We have put bombs in your heads, you can’t disobey us ! Now you’re going to be transferred !”  
  
“No !”  
  
“You can’t do that !” Kyo shouted.  
  
“My son ! Jun ! Ju…” Yamasaki cried, but she was interrupted as the transfer began.  
  
In turns, they were all transferred.  
  
They arrived in the spaceship. The inside looked like a normal city, but everything was bigger, adapted for the alien’s size. Instead of a sky, there was another city, upside down, far above their heads. But they didn’t have time to admire the surroundings, because the people from Kanto were already fighting.  
  
There were so many alien soldiers, Tsuneo couldn’t count them. A lot of gantzers were fighting, but the number of corpses was frightening. The giants were cutting down several of them each time they fired.  
  
The gantzers were fighting with all their might, cutting with the swords, crushing with the Z-guns, but it was hard. They really needed help.  
  
“Oh my god…” Tsuneo whispered, feeling his hands shaking.  
  
“We… We don’t have a choice,” Kyo said, though he was afraid too. “Come on, we can do it, we’re used to it now…”  
  
“But they’re so many…”   
  
“Let me do it.” Yamasaki said behind their backs.  
  
“Ya… Yamasaki ?”  
  
“I’ll kill them all and I’ll find my son.” She was determined. “Take care of Chie.”  
  
Without another word, she put Chie in Tsuneo’s arms, who buried her face in his chest and cried, firmly grabbed her shotgun, took a deep breath and ran toward the fight. Kyo sighed.  
  
“We won’t be long,” he said, as if to give himself courage. He made a step toward the fight, but Tsuneo caught his arm.  
  
“Don’t… Don’t die…” he felt his eyes fill with tears, and a knot forming in his throat. There was no way they could win this war. He… He didn’t want to lose Kyo… Kyo smiled sadly and kissed him.  
  
“I won’t die,” he promised, though his voice wasn’t confident, and went after Yamasaki, letting Tsuneo alone with a sobbing Chie in his arms. They hid under one of the huge steps of the stairs.  
  
“Nii-san… I’m scared…” she sobbed.  
  
“Shh… Everything is alright…” he lied, though he was as scared as her, and tightened his arms around her small body. The tears were running uncontrollably on his cheeks. He didn’t want Kyo to die, he didn’t want to lose him… He didn’t want to lose the boy he loved…   
  
Kyo caught up with Yamasaki, who was running straight at a giant, her face resolved.  
  
“Aim at their feet !” Kyo shouted to her as they ran.  
  
“Ok !”  
  
They dodged a circular saw flying toward them and opened fire on the giants. Yamasaki did as Kyo had told, and aimed at the giants’ feet, sending two of them to the ground. Kyo and some gantzers from Kanto finished them with their Z-guns.  
  
“We can do it !” someone from Kanto shouted.  
  
They fired at other giants, injuring them, and dodged some saws. Around them, two gantzers died, cut in halves. One of the saw had passed only two centimeters from Kyo’s leg. He sighed with relief, feeling lucky.  
  
Suddenly, three soldiers fell from the air and landed in the middle of the fight. They were different. Their armors were shining, and they didn’t wear helmets. One of them had sunglasses, and another had long blond hair. They seemed… disturbingly human…  
  
“Th… these ones… they’re stronger…” someone said.  
  
“That’s it, just the arms ! Send them now !” a man shouted.  
  
“Eh, this guy !” Yamasaki exclaimed.  
  
“It’s the guy from earlier !”  
  
It was one of the men controlling the black spheres, the one with a ridiculous small mustache. He calmly walked toward the three new soldiers while arms exactly like those of Oka’s suit were transferred on his arms.  
  
But before he could attack, Kyo felt his body fly in the air. The new soldiers had charged, projecting every gantzers around in the air. Kyo fell on the ground twenty meters away, on his back.  
  
“Ouch !” he cried from the pain. Around him, other gantzers were falling, some of them were dead.  
  
Yamasaki must have been thrown in the air too, he had to find her. Getting on his feet, he picked his Z-gun from the ground and tried to find her, while the man with the arms was going toward the enemy.  
  
He found Yamasaki lying on the ground, unconscious but still alive. Her suit was broken, letting a thick black fluid flow out of the caps. Kyo realized with horror that his own suit was in the same state ! That was why his body was so aching !  
  
“It’s over for us…” he said, distressed. He tried to carry Yamasaki, but she was heavy ! She was the same height as him, and probably the same weight too… With a working suit it would have been easy, but now… So he dragged her on the ground by the arms, until they were far enough from the fight. He couldn’t do anything more. He couldn’t even try to find Tsuneo, since people were fighting everywhere, and he couldn’t let Yamasaki alone. Now that his suit was broken, he realized he was too scared to do anything anyway.  
  
The man with the advanced arms was fighting against two of the new soldiers, but other gantzers were still dying, taken between them or killed by the other soldiers. The alien with blond hair seemed to be interested by two gantzers in particular, and didn’t fight anyone else. Suddenly, the transfer began again.  
  
They were back on the square, with gantzers from both Kanto and Kansai, whose numbers had dramatically decreased. The man with the arms had made a prisoner and was shouting to the others to undress him. Next to Kyo, Yamasaki was conscious again and both their suits were working.  
  
“Wh… What happened ?” she asked, confused.  
  
“We were thrown in the air and you fainted,” he explained. “Our suits were broken, we’re lucky…”  
  
“Kyo ! Yamasaki !” Tsuneo called behind them, Chie still in his arms. They were both crying and sobbing. “Thanks god you’re alive !” Kyo’s face lightened when he saw him. Without thinking, he caught his face in his hands and kissed him, happy that they were both alive.  
  
Tsuneo suddenly stopped crying and blushed heavily, since they were in public. Yamasaki made a grimace of surprise and probably distaste, but didn’t say anything.  
  
“Nii-san, are you a fag ?” Chie asked innocently.  
  
“Eh ! That… That’s a bad word ! Don’t say that !” he argued, blushing even deeper because he knew he couldn’t say no. Kyo however, burst out laughing.  
  
“Sorry,” he said between two laughs. “Now you’ll have to talk about the birds and the bees with her, good luck !”  
  
“Guys, it’s not the right time for that…” Yamasaki remarked.  
  
Indeed, the man with the advanced suit’s arms announced that they were going to be transferred. People argued, asking for explanations, but the man only said that they were going to be transferred in random places.  
  
Tsuneo didn’t have time to argue that he arrived in Dotonbori. Fortunately, since he had Chie in his arms during the transfer, she was with her. But who knew where Kyo and Yamasaki were ?  
  
He couldn’t call them, since his phone had been destroyed at the same time as his clothes, earlier that day. The only thing he could do was going to the Gantz room. Kyo and Yamasaki, after she found her son, would probably think of going there as soon as they could. Wiping his tears away, he began walking.  
  
Around him, buildings were destroyed, corpses were scattered in the street, people were crying, running, trying to hide everywhere. In only one day, Osaka, and probably the whole world, had fallen into ruins. There was no way they could win this war.


	6. Tokyo Team

The building were Gantz was situated had been destroyed by one of the giant robots, but only the upper floors had been devastated. By miracle, the flat with the black sphere was intact, at the exception of some cracks in the walls.  
  
Kyo was already there when Tsuneo and Chie arrived, pacing in front of the black sphere in the main room.  
  
“Tsuneo !” he exclaimed, relieved to see them arrived. “I was worried, I tried to call you for hours, and Yamasaki too, but there’s no signal anymore…”  
  
“My cell was destroyed at the same time as my clothes anyway,” Tsuneo reminded him. “But I’m sure Yamasaki will think of coming here too.”  
  
“Yes, if she finds her son…” he sighed. Tsuneo didn’t answer, but knew what Kyo was thinking. Yamasaki might never find her son, lost alone in Osaka. In all likelihood, he should be already dead, or captured by the aliens. No, he didn’t want to think about it. He wanted… He needed to keep hope.  
  
“Did you notice ?” Kyo continued after a while. “It’s quiet. They’re not attacking anymore.”  
  
“Oh, you’re right,” Tsuneo exclaimed. He hadn’t noticed before, but the fights had stopped. “Maybe… they can’t fight at night ?”  
  
“Hum, maybe…” Kyo didn’t seem convinced. “At least, we can’t see this red sky anymore. It was giving me the creeps…” He shivered.  
  
“What will we do now ?” he asked, worried.  
  
“Nothing…” Kyo sighed. “I’m afraid this war is just beginning. For now, we should wait for Yamasaki and try to rest…”  
  
Of course, that was the only thing to do. They could go out and try to help people, but they would be useless since the fights were over. And if they left the flat, Yamasaki wouldn’t find them. If Tsuneo’s hypothesis was right, and that the aliens were just postponing their attacks until the morrow, they had to sleep. Tomorrow, they would have to fight and save people again…  
  
They went to bed, without taking off their suits, just in case. Their weapons were near too. At Tsuneo’s right side, Chie rapidly fell asleep. The poor girl was exhausted. Not only had she seen hundreds of people die around her, but she had also been transferred in the middle of the enemy’s spaceship to take part in the fight. That was ridiculous. These men, controlling the sphere, who were they ? What did they want ? It seemed they wanted to win this war, but they didn’t seem to care about the casualties. They didn’t seem to care either that children like Chie were brought in the fight… And they didn’t seem to care about the gantzers in general, since they had transferred them in random places against their will…  
  
And the gantzers, what were they ? Kyo, Chie, Yamasaki, himself and the others, were they some kind of army, under the command of this group of strange men ? Then why did nobody explain them what was happening ? Why did nobody organize them ? Why were they sent back in Osaka without further explanation ? No, these men weren’t their commanders, they were just using them to achieve their own goals.  
  
Tsuneo couldn’t sleep after all that. How could he ? The world was at war. This thing they had seen in Tokyo, the alien spaceship, it was so huge… All humanity would be wiped out, or reduced to slavery ! It wasn’t a war they could win… Not even them, the gantzers, with their suits and weapons… It was just a matter of time before they were all exterminated…  
  
He wondered what Kato was doing right now. Was he trying to sleep, recovering for the fight the next day ? Or… Was he already dead ? No, he couldn’t think about that. Kato was a hero ! He couldn’t be dead. He was probably saving people right now. Yes, it couldn’t be otherwise.  
  
On his left side, Kyo came closer and snuggled in his arms. He seemed anxious, and his hands were shaking.  
  
“Y… You’re not sleeping ?” he whispered.  
  
“No… I can’t sleep…” Tsuneo answered, whispering too.  
  
“Hum. Me neither… I… I’m afraid…”  
  
Tsuneo tightened his arms around him. He was a little surprised by this confession. Kyo had been awesome today. He had managed things from the beginning, taking the lead of the Osaka Team. He had fought against the aliens with cold-blood, while Tsuneo was just firing everywhere around and crying like a child. He had even fought in the spaceship and saved Yamasaki, while Tsuneo couldn’t do anything else than hiding. But he was just a young man, scared like everybody else. Tsuneo caressed his hair and kissed his forehead.  
  
“It’s over now, try to sleep,” he said, trying to sound reassuring though he was as frightened as Kyo. Kyo nodded and buried his face in Tsuneo’s chest.  
  
They finally managed to get a few hours of sleep, and were awakened with a start on the morrow, by an explosion nearby.  
  
“Ahhh !” Chie cried, clinging to Tsuneo’s arm.  
  
“What was that ?” he exclaimed, putting his glasses on his nose.  
  
“They’re attacking again !” Kyo said, getting up to look out of the window.  
  
The sun had already risen, and the sky was still red. The giant robots were moving again, destroying more buildings. The giants were back in the streets, trying to drive out the people who were hiding.  
  
“Oh no…” Tsuneo whispered, watching this spectacle with dismay. This time, that was it. They would all die…  
  
“Damn !” Kyo sweared.  
  
“Nii-san…” Chie sobbed, and he hurried to take her away from the window. She didn’t need to see that.  
  
“We have to fight,” Kyo said, his voice firm. “This bastards will die !”  
  
“B… But we have to wait for Yamasaki !”  
  
“We don’t even know if she’s still alive…” Kyo sighed.  
  
“Don’t say that ! She’s alive, she has to be !” Tsuneo argued, refusing to think about the worst.  
  
“Even if she’s alive, we don’t know if she’ll come here ! We can’t wait for her…”  
  
Tsuneo didn’t answer. He knew Kyo was right. There was no guaranty that Yamasaki would come here. And the people outside needed help. They couldn’t wait for her any longer.  
“And… And Chie ?” he asked after a while. “We can’t let her alone…”  
  
“Why not ? She’s safe here. And if Yamasaki comes, she can tell her to wait for us.”  
  
“O… Ok…” he surrendered. Chie was probably safe here, since the building had already been destroyed. He didn’t want to go out in this hell, but at the same time, he felt it was their duty as gantzers to help those people. Together with Kyo, they could kill the giants. They had to do it.  
  
“Chie, we must go out for a while. You have to stay here, ok ?” he said gently, kneeling in front of her.  
  
“No… I don’t want you to leave… I don’t want to be alone…” she complained.  
  
“Don’t worry, we won’t be long. Listen to me. You’re a big girl, right ? Can you do something for me ?”  
  
“Y… Yes…” she nodded, her eyes wet.  
  
“If Yamasaki comes here, you have to tell her to wait for us here, you understand ? It’s very important. Can you do that for me ?”  
  
“Yes…” she said sadly. Tsuneo hugged her and patted her head.  
  
“Thank you Chie. I’ll come back soon.” It worried him to let Chie alone, but they didn’t have a choice.  
  
“Nii-san…” she moaned.  
  
“Don’t worry… Everything will be alright…” he whispered. He wished he could believe it…  
  
“Hum… Tsuneo ? I need help,” Kyo called behind his back. Tsuneo turned back, to see that Kyo was trying to move a bike out of the secondary room.  
  
“W… What are you doing ?”  
  
“We’ll be more efficient with a bike. Also, we’ll be able to come back here more often to check on Chie.”  
  
“Oh… Good idea.”  
  
The bike was big. It was made to be transferred out of the room, not to pass through the door. But the two of them, with the help of the sword to enlarge the door a little, managed to move the bike into the main room.  
  
“And now ?”  
  
“We don’t have a choice, we have to throw it by the window…” Kyo sighed.  
  
Indeed, the bike wouldn’t pass through the corridor, then the staircase. But the flat wasn’t too high, and the bike was solid. They opened the French windows and put the bike on the balcony. Then, they threw it from the balcony on the ground, several floors below. They went back in the flat to get their weapons, closed the windows, and Tsuneo hugged Chie one last time before going out through the entrance door.  
  
Kyo seemed satisfied to be able to drive a bike. Tsuneo remembered that he had also taken a bike during the Nurarihyon mission. The different gantzers probably had different tastes in the weapons and equipment they used, he thought. He let Kyo take the driver’s seat, and installed himself behind.  
  
With the bike, killing the giants was almost easy, at least when there weren’t more than two. They could easily avoid the saws by circling around the giant’s legs, the bike was too fast for them. They killed two couples of aliens and told the people to go hide in the basements. Then they went back to the flat, but Yamasaki still wasn’t there. They repeated this operation several time, until noon.  
  
“I’m hungry…” Chie complained, when they were back in the flat.  
  
“Where can we find food ?” Tsuneo asked. He hadn’t realized before, but he was hungry too. They hadn’t eaten since the beginning of the Katastrophe.  
  
“If only Gantz could transfer a pizza…” Kyo said with a half-smile.  
  
They went to the nearest konbini. It had already been looted, but they managed to find some canned food and bags of crisps. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough for the moment. This night, when the aliens would stop attacking, they could try to go further and find more food.  
  
When they went back to the flat, Yamasaki was finally there.  
  
“Yamasaki ! You’re alive !” Tsuneo exclaimed. “Did… Did you find your son ?”  
  
“Yes,” she smiled. “He’s sleeping in the bed.”  
  
“Oh thank god…” he sighed, relieved.  
  
“That’s good news !” Kyo said happily. “And you’re just in time for lunch !”  
  
They ate a quick lunch and listened to Yamasaki’s story.   
  
She explained that she had been transferred in Nanko Central Park, and that it took her several hours to go back to Nakatsu Station, where her son still was. She wanted to come to the room immediately, but the metro station was attacked by strange spider-like aliens standing on two legs. They wore gears similar to the giant aliens. These spider-like aliens killed many people and drove them out of the metro station. Yamasaki couldn’t fight, since she had to protect her son, so she just fled.  
  
It was already dawn outside, and the giants were attacking again. Yamasaki and her son had followed the movement of the crowd, unable to escape, and they had been captured in one of those big flying cages. With the suit, Yamasaki had managed to break the door, and they had jumped on a building. Then, she had come as fast as she could. Chie had told her that ‘nii-san and the boy who looks like a girl’ were outside. Then she had put Jun and Chie to bed and had waited for them.  
  
Kyo grimaced when he heard how Chie had referred to him, but didn’t say anything. Tsuneo was content that Chie had carried her mission out. She was a good girl, he thought with a smile.  
  
They explained to Yamasaki that they had slept here this night, and that they had spent the morning killing aliens and saving people. Since Yamasaki hadn’t slept at all, they told her to stay here and rest. When the children would wake up, she would feed them, but today she didn’t have to fight.  
  
Tsuneo and Kyo continued fighting aliens on their bike during the afternoon and the evening. But they were beginning to be tired. They made a mistake, and a giant managed to kick the bike with his foot.  
  
“Ahhh !” Tsuneo screamed, falling from his seat at the back of the bike.  
  
“Oh nooo… Argh !” Kyo cried, crashing into a building at full speed.  
  
Quickly getting on his feet, Tsuneo grabbed his sword. His shotgun had been projected somewhere, and he didn’t know how to use the sword, but he didn’t have time to think. If he didn’t act quickly, this giant would kill them ! Crying and yelling, he ran toward the enemy and waved his sword randomly. Somehow, he managed to cut the giant’s left leg. But as he fell on the ground, the giant extended his arm and caught him.  
  
“Arghh !” he screamed, feeling the giant’s hand tightening around his body. His suit was hissing under the pressure. That was bad ! Soon his suit would break, and he would die ! He tried to cut the alien’s fingers with the sword, but he couldn’t move. He was trapped !  
  
The giant shouted something in his strange language. He seemed in pain from his cut leg, and wanted to make Tsuneo pay for it. He kept tightening his fingers, surprised by the resistance of the suit, but determined to crush this little human.  
  
Suddenly, Tsuneo fell on the ground, still in the giant’s hand. He realized that the giant’s whole arm was on the ground, cleanly cut. W… What had happened ? He looked at the giant, trying to understand, and Kyo was there. In a swift and expert movement, he raised his sword and beheaded the alien.  
  
“Wooow !!”  
  
“Awesome !”  
  
“Thank you !”  
  
“Hurrah !” the people cheered, forming a circle around them. Kyo ignored them and walked toward Tsuneo, who was still in the giant’s hand.  
  
Tsuneo watched him with awe. Kyo had saved his life, once more. He was impressive, standing out of the red sky with his sword in the hand and a streak of alien blood on his clothes. And… kind of handsome too…  
  
“You’re ok ?” he asked, his voice anxious, helping Tsuneo getting on his feet.  
  
“Y… Yes, thank you…” he blushed, readjusting his glasses. Kyo was watching him with tearful eyes, his lower lip trembling. “A… And you ?” he added, worried. Bursting out sobbing, Kyo jumped in his arms.  
  
“I’m so… so sorry, it’s… all my fault !” he cried. “I… I made a mistake with the bike and… and… you could have died !” Tsuneo patted his back awkwardly, not knowing what to say. His heart was still racing from the fear, and he felt like crying too, but he was too shocked by Kyo’s behavior.  
  
“There, there, it’s… it’s not your fault,” he said, trying to comfort Kyo though his own hands were still shaking. “You… You’ve saved me, once more…”  
  
Kyo didn’t answer and continued crying on his shoulder. Since the beginning of the Katastrophe, his mood was unstable. Sometimes he was so anxious that his hands were shaking, and the moment after he was laughing while killing aliens. And now he was crying in his arms, not even bothering about the people around them. Sure they were going through a horrible war, and it was frightening, but there must be something else to upset him like this. Tsuneo was beginning to be worried.  
  
If only he was a good fighter, Kyo wouldn’t be so troubled, he thought. But he couldn’t do anything on his own, and always ended up getting saved by other people, Kato or Kyo. Each time he managed to do something good, it was because of luck. How pathetic…   
  
But now Kyo was in a state of shock and didn’t seem close to calm down. Wiping his own tears, Tsuneo gave indications to the people to hide in the basements of buildings or in the nearest metro station. The bike was broken, so they picked their weapons on the ground and went back to the room on foot, Tsuneo leading Kyo by the hand like a child.  
  
“W… What happened ?” Yamasaki asked when they arrived, worried to see Kyo in this state.  
  
“No… Nothing,” Tsuneo said, seeing than Kyo wasn’t answering and wasn’t even looking at Yamasaki. He was still whimpering and looking at the ground. “We were attacked, but it’s ok, we’re not hurt. Kyo’s just… a little shocked.”  
  
“Oh, I… I see… Night is falling anyway, the aliens won’t attack anymore.”  
  
“Hum. We should go out and find something to eat.” He turned to Kyo and placed a hand on his cheek, wiping a tear with his thumb. “Y… You stay here and rest, ok ?”  
  
Kyo sighed and nodded, and staggered to the bedroom. There was definitely something wrong, Tsuneo thought…  
  
“Let’s go,” Yamasaki said, grabbing a shotgun.  
  
“Nii-san, I want to come too !” Chie announced, raising her arms toward him.   
  
“No, it can be dangerous,” he said. “Stay here with Jun. And don’t bother Kyo, ok ?”  
  
“Noo, I want to come !” she argued. Tsuneo sighed and kneeled in front of her.  
  
“Come on, don’t be so stubborn… Look, Jun doesn’t complain, him. Be a good girl and go play with him.”  
  
“Pfff… Ok…” she pouted, disappointed, and crossed her arms.  
  
“Thank you,” he smiled, patting her head. “We won’t be long.”  
  
For half an hour, Tsuneo and Yamasaki searched for food. The konbinis and most of the other stores had already been destroyed or looted. Finally, they didn’t have choice but to go in abandoned apartments and take all they could find. Tsuneo hopped it would be enough to survive during this war. Well, it wasn’t like the food was their only concern anyway. They would be lucky if they survived long enough to have to search for food again…  
  
Back in the flat, Tsuneo went to check on Kyo, while Yamasaki was trying to prepare a decent dinner with what they had. They needed it after all the events of the day. Kyo was lying in the dark, wrapped up in the blankets and curled up in fetal position.  
  
“A… Are you ok ?” Tsuneo asked hesitantly, sitting next to him.  
  
“Y… Yes, sorry,” he answered, wiping his tears away. “I… I don’t know what got into me, but it’s over now.”  
  
“Are you sure ? You’re sweating…” Tsuneo noticed, his voice worried. “You’re feeling sick ?”  
  
“N… No ! It’s nothing,” he assured. “It’s just… this war. I’ll feel better after eating.” He took a deep breath and smiled. Tsuneo wanted to help him get up, but he pushed his hand back and got up on his own.  
  
They all sat on the floor to eat, since there wasn’t a table in the flat. Tsuneo and Yamasaki couldn’t help but glance at Kyo now and then, but he seemed to have returned to his normal state. They all ate with appetite, tired from the events of the day and not knowing when they would be able to eat a decent meal again. Even Chie and Jun seemed to feel the tension.  
  
They were finishing their plates when a voice resonated in the room.  
  
“Is it working ? Can they see me ?” it said.  
  
“The sphere !” Yamasaki exclaimed, and they all turned to look at it.  
  
The image of a young man with brown hair, wearing a hoodie over a Gantz suit, appeared at the surface of the black sphere.  
  
“What the…” Kyo muttered, astonished.  
  
“Who… Who is he ?” Tsuneo asked on the same tone. Was it a message from the group of men controlling the spheres ?  
  
“This is the Tokyo Team,” the young man said. “This is a message for all the teams in Japan. Can they really hear me ? You’re sure ?”  
  
“To… Tokyo ?” Tsuneo whispered.  
  
“Kato ! Is he still alive ? Who are you !” Yamasaki exclaimed, touching the sphere. But it seemed that the transmission was one-sided. The young man from Tokyo couldn’t hear them.  
  
“Nearly everyone from Tokyo has been captured,” he continued. “They’ve been taken into this kind of giant spaceship. To everyone who sees this message, I ask you to join us to save these people.”  
  
“Ahahah, what the hell are you thinking ?” another voice said, though they couldn’t see who it was. “You’re stupid or what ? You really think someone will accept ? Man, you’re so naïve…”  
  
“In… Inside the spaceship ?” Tsuneo repeated, shocked.  
  
“Maybe Kato is with them ?” Yamasaki wondered aloud.  
  
“We… We can’t go !” Kyo exclaimed. “It’s madness ! We almost died last time !”  
  
Another face appeared on the sphere, a beautiful young woman with long black hair.  
  
“Please, lend us your support,” she said, her face sad. “We’re the only ones who can do it.”  
  
“Ah ! It’s Reika !” Tsuneo shouted, blushing a little.  
  
“Reika ?” Kyo asked, a hint of jealousy in the voice as he recognized the idol. What was an idol doing in the Tokyo Team ? And above all, why was Tsuneo so happy to see her ?  
  
“Reika ! She was with Kato !” Yamasaki exclaimed. “Then Kato must be with them !”  
  
“Yes ! We must go !” Tsuneo decided.  
  
“B… But, Osaka is at war too !” Kyo argued. Why the hell did they want to go die in Tokyo ? Was it just because of this Kato and this Reika ? “And Chie, and your son Yamasaki, you will abandon them here ?”  
  
“It… It’s just for the night !” she replied, blushing. “We go save those people, and we go back here.”  
  
“They’re safe here,” Tsuneo said. “You said it yourself this morning, when we let Chie alone.”  
  
“Y… Yes, but…”  
  
“You can stay here if you want,” he said, worried. “If you feel sick, it’s better if you get some sleep.”  
  
Kyo sighed. Tsuneo and Yamasaki wanted to go, and nothing he could say would make them change their mind…  
  
“N… No way, it’s dangerous, I can’t let you go alone,” he said after a while. “Besides, I told you I’m not sick !” To prove his words, he grabbed his Z-gun and his sword. “Let’s go.”  
  
“Thank you,” Tsuneo smiled, relieved.  
  
That decided, Yamasaki and him explained to Jun and Chie that they had to stay alone once more. After a lot of cries, they finally managed to put the children to bed. Coming back in the main room, they took their weapons.  
  
“H… How does it works ?” Tsuneo asked, looking at the sphere. “G… Gantz ! Transfer us please.”  
  
A laser ray appeared from the sphere and began transferring him.  
  
“I’m next !” Yamasaki announced, but soon they disappeared from his sight.  
  
He arrived in a room full of people. The flat seemed to be almost exactly like the one he had just left, and there was a black sphere in the middle of the room too. People were watching him appear. He recognized the people from Tokyo. The young man who had made the message, Reika, the middle schooler who had been injured during the fight in Osaka, the muscled man who had fought hand-to-hand against the Nurarihyon, his child, and…  
  
“Ka… Kato…” he managed to say, a knot in his throat. “You… You really have survived… Kato…” He felt the tears coming to his eyes.  
  
“Thanks… Thank you for coming,” Kato smiled. He really had survived ! It was too good to be true ! Kato, his savior, his hero, he finally got to see him again ! He couldn’t hold back his tears, and began crying like a child.  
  
“It’s wonderful,” Kato said. “I’m glad to see you alive too.”  
  
“You two know each other… ?”  
  
“He’s from the Osaka Team.”  
  
“She… She’s coming…” Tsuneo announced between two sobs.  
  
“What ?”  
  
“I… I kept my promise !” he cried, the tears rolling down his cheeks and his nose running uncontrollably.  
  
“Here’s another one,” someone said, as the transfer began again.  
  
Yamasaki appeared in the room, her hands joint on the chest. Her face brightened as she saw Kato, and they both stayed there, watching each other. The joy was visible on their face, as tears began to fill their eyes.  
  
“I…” Yamasaki began. Kato wiped his tears away.  
  
“Someone… revived you ?”  
  
“Y… Yes, it’s Tsuneo,” she cried, pointing at him. Kato grabbed his hand.  
  
“Thank you… Thank you so much…” he sobbed, bowing slightly, and Tsuneo cried even more. Kato took Yamasaki in his arms and hugged her tightly.  
  
“Ah, there’s someone else,” the boy with the hoodie said.  
  
Kyo appeared where Yamasaki was standing a moment before, wearing his hoodie too, his Z-gun in the hand and his sword in the holster at his leg. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Yamasaki in Kato’s arms and Tsuneo crying. Taking a look around the room, he tried to recognize the people from Tokyo, but he only recognized the two who had appeared on the sphere. This cute boy with brown hair, and this idol, Reika. He threw a dark look at Reika and came closer to Tsuneo, jealously grabbing his arm.  
  
“K… Kyo…” Tsuneo whispered, and wiped his tears away.  
  
“So it really was the last one…” the boy with the hoodie said. He came toward Kyo and raised his hand to shake his. “Thank you for joining us, I’m Kei Kurono.”  
  
In turns, they all introduced themselves. In addition to Kei, Reika and Kato, the Tokyo Team consisted of Kaze, the muscled guy; Takeshi, the little boy; and Nishi, who didn’t want to tell his name but was forced by the others. The other people were coming from everywhere in Japan. They were Hyoma, a tall guy with long black hair; Ryuuji, a short but muscled teenager; Mary, a westerner girl with blond hair, though she said she was Japanese; Kaiji, a tough looking young man with short hair and a small beard; Makoto, a neat guy who looked like a lawyer or something like that; and Toshio, a middle aged man vaguely resembling George Clooney. With Tsuneo, Kyo and Yamasaki, the ‘Katastrophe Team’ was made of 15 people.  
  
“Now, Gantz will remove the bombs from your heads, and prevent the other Gantzs to transfer you,” Kei announced.  
  
“Re… Really ?!” Tsuneo and some others exclaimed, surprised.  
  
“Yes, he will scan you all.”  
  
Indeed, Kaiji began disappearing, only to reappear at the exact same place a moment after. Then, Toshio was scanned the same way, and soon all of them had been scanned.  
  
“Ca… Can you do that on Chie too ?” Tsuneo asked to Kei.  
  
“Chie ?”  
  
“She… She’s a young girl of the Osaka Team, maybe younger than this child here,” he explained, pointing at Takeshi. “She has a bomb in her head too.”  
  
“Can you do that, Gantz ?” Kei asked, turning to the sphere.  
  
“If I know where she is, yes, I can,” the naked man inside the sphere answered. Tsuneo was shocked. He didn’t know the man inside the sphere could talk !  
  
“She… She’s in Osaka, in the room where our Gantz is.”  
  
Gantz stayed silent for a moment.  
  
“Done,” he finally said. Tsuneo sighed with relief. Now Chie was safe.  
  
Their own safety, however, was not guaranteed. Kaiji informed them that Gantz couldn’t revive people anymore. A great tumult followed this declaration, during which the people from Tokyo ordered Gantz to revive the ‘old man’, but nothing happened. Gantz couldn’t do it anymore…  
  
“Well…” Kei sighed, his face anxious. “Then if anyone wants to leave, they can still do it now.”  
  
Tsuneo felt his heartrate increase. Did… Did he want to leave ? Was he really ready to put his life on the line and fight inside the spaceship ? He felt a bead of sweat rolling on his forehead. At his side, Kyo stayed silent, his face devoid of any emotion. He hadn’t wanted to come, but now that he was here, he was ready to fight. Tsuneo gulped and looked at Yamasaki. She had a son to protect, maybe she would want to go back in Osaka ? But she was holding Kato’s hand and didn’t seem ready to leave his side. Kato… He was determined. Of course, he was ready to risk his life to save as many people as he could. If only he was as brave as Kato…   
  
He took a look at the others, and everybody else was resolved. He was the only one hesitating. Feeling shameful, he bit his lip, but remained silent.  
  
“Even if there’re only few of us, we’ll try to save as many people as we can.” Kei declared, naturally assuming the position of leader. He seemed nervous too, but he had a certain charisma. Tsuneo suddenly realized that all the people in the room except him seemed to be good fighters. Maybe he shouldn’t have come… Maybe he should have stayed behind, with the children…  
  
But it was too late to worry about that. With the help of Makoto, who was fluent in English, they obtained a map of the spaceship from a team in New York, showing the place where the humans were held.  
  
“Are you kidding ?!” Nishi shouted angrily. “He said they’ve found the ship’s weak point, that’s what you should ask him, morons !”  
  
“He’s right,” Kyo whispered only to Tsuneo. “We could end this war, that’s stupid !”  
  
“Saving the humans is our top priority,” Kei said to Nishi. “If you want this information, then ask him yourself.”  
  
“God dammit, fucking idiot, dumbass…” Nishi swore, gritting his teeth.  
  
Kyo bit the inside of his cheek. He agreed with Nishi, but at the same time he didn’t want to attack the heart of the spaceship with only 15 people. So he didn’t say anything.  
  
“Alright, let’s go !” Kei shouted, turning away from Nishi.  
  
“That’s it, go get yourself killed !” Nishi yelled.  
  
“As soon as we find someone, you’ll have to transfer them back on the surface, you can do that Gantz, can’t you ?!” Kei continued, ignoring Nishi’s comment.  
  
“Yes,” the naked man said. “I determined the coordinates of the inside of the ship.”  
  
“Then send me first !” Kei announced.  
  
“I’ll be next !” Kato exclaimed.  
  
“Then me !”  
  
“I’m coming too !”  
  
“Stay on your guard !”  
  
In turn, everyone except Nishi and Takeshi were transferred inside the spaceship.


	7. In the spaceship

They arrived in a huge room with several pools. The vision was horrifying. Naked people were crying and struggling against the current. Some of them were drowning, helpless. But the worse was behind. In the back of the immense room, hundreds of people were hanged by the feet, the blood pouring from their opened chests.  
  
“Oh my god…” Tsuneo moaned, feeling sick. All these people were already dead, horribly murdered. He felt nauseous and put a hand on his mouth.  
  
“Nooo !”  
  
“Gyaah !”  
  
“Help !” the people in the pools cried.  
  
The other gantzers were already saving people, he had to regain his self-control. He looked around searching for Kyo. He was pulling an old woman from the water, and jumped over the pools to put her on the side.  
  
“What are you waiting for ?” Kyo shouted to him from the distance. That made him react. Taking a deep breath, he threw his shotgun on the side and went to rescue some people. He grabbed the arms of the first person he found and pulled him on the floor. Without wasting more time, he did it again and again.  
  
“Gantz, transfer them !” Reika shouted.  
  
“He… Help me too !”  
  
“We have to stop the current !” Kei exclaimed.  
  
“How ?”  
  
“The Z-guns ! The ceiling will fall in the water and stop the current !” Hyoma suggested.  
  
Since Hyoma, Kei and Kyo were the only ones with Z-guns, they positioned themselves between pools and fired. Indeed the ceiling fell in the water, causing the current to stop. After that, it was easier to rescue everyone.  
  
“Transfer them without stopping, Gantz !”  
  
“Thank you ! Thank you so much !” the people were exclaiming. A man grabbed Tsuneo’s hands and cried, thanking him.  
  
“You’re from the Self-Defense Forces, aren’t you ?” an old man asked. “Japan will recover, right ?”  
  
“As soon as you’re on the surface, run to the basements !” Reika shouted. “Do your best to stay alive !”  
  
The transfer began, allowing the poor naked people to leave the spaceship. During this time, the gantzers saved the last people.  
  
“No one’s left ?”  
  
“It looks like we’ve got them all.”  
  
“It was easier than I thought…” Kaiji said, uneasy.  
  
“Yes… It’s almost disturbing…” Kei sighed.  
  
Tsuneo couldn’t take his eyes off the corpses hanging at the back of the room. All kind of people were hanging there, men, women, young and old, even children. W… Why ? Why had they been killed like that ? Why capture them, if the only purpose was to kill them ? There was something wrong, Tsuneo thought, nervous. Seeing all these people, naked, hanged by the feet, well aligned in rows, it was even worse than seeing people die in the fights. He had to put his hands on his mouth again to prevent from throwing up.  
  
Gantz transferred them immediately in another similar room. Again, the people were struggling against the current, drowning, being taken away, and then were hanged by the feet to bleed to death. It was terrible. How many other rooms like that existed, Tsuneo wondered with dismay. How many people have been captured, only to die this horrible way ?  
  
Without wasting time, all the gantzers jumped between the pools to save people.  
  
“We stop the current !” Kei ordered, and once again, Hyoma, Kyo and him fired with their Z-gun.  
  
When the current was stopped, they quickly rescued everybody, and Gantz began transferring them outside. They didn’t take time to rest, and were transferred in another room again.  
  
Once more, they stopped the current and saved people. And again, and again.  
  
“I’ll never ever forget your face !” a man cried, holding Makoto’s hand.  
  
“Everyone has been transferred ?” Kei asked.  
  
“Let’s keep moving,” Kato said. “We have to be quick.”  
  
“No time to rest, huh ?” Makoto said, though he knew the answer.  
  
“No time to break bread either, right ?” Kaiji complained.  
  
“Wait a minute !” Ryuuji exclaimed. In an act of defiance, he got onto the edge of the pool, took off his suit’s pant, and peed in the water, not even bothering about the others.   
  
“Ahahah, me too !” Toshio laughed, and imitated the teenager.  
  
Tsuneo was shocked. What the hell were they thinking ? As if they had time for this.  
  
“Eh guys, there are women here…” Hyoma said, indignant too.  
  
“Ah !” Reika and Yamasaki exclaimed in surprise, as all the other boys imitated Ryuuji and Toshio. All the other boys except Kyo, Tsuneo noticed. He suddenly realized that Kyo had been strangely quiet during the last rescues. He turned away to search for him.  
  
Kyo was standing alone, away from the group, staring off into space. His Z-gun was on the ground. As he walked toward him, Tsuneo noticed that he was shivering.  
  
“Kyo ? Are you alright ?”  
  
“Tsu… Tsuneo ?” he said with surprise, his voice weak. “I… I’m cold…”  
  
“Oh my… What happened to you ? You’re white as a sheet !” he exclaimed, worried. Kyo’s whole body was shaking, and he was sweating.  
  
“It hurts…” he whispered.  
  
“What ? W… Where does it hurt ?”  
  
“E… Everywhere…” he answered, his eyes filling with tears. He tried to wipe his tears away, but his hands were shaking too much. “It… It hurts everywhere… In my bones…” His voice broke as he began to sob.  
  
Tsuneo didn’t know what to do. Kyo was in pain, but he couldn’t do anything if he didn’t know why. He wasn’t wounded, so what was happening ? Worried, he made Kyo sit on the ground against a wall.  
  
“Try to calm down,” he said. “What happened to you ? You’re sick ?”  
  
“It hurts…” Kyo just repeated, taking his head in his hands and crying. “It… It hurts. I’m cold… so cold…” It was getting worse, it looked like he was having some kind of fit. He was sweating so much that his hair was wet, sticking to his forehead.  
  
“Is there a problem ?” Yamasaki asked, coming to see them. “Kyo ! What’s happening ?”  
“C… Cold… cold…” he kept repeating through his chattering teeth, not paying attention to Yamasaki.  
  
“I… I came to see him, and he was like that !” Tsuneo explained. Damn, it wasn’t a good time to be sick ! What was happening ? And to think that Kyo was already beginning to be sick earlier, why hadn’t he forced him to stay in Osaka ? He cursed himself for being so careless.  
  
“Ah… It… hurts… In… In my chest…” Kyo sobbed.  
  
“He… He was already sick earlier, wasn’t he ?” Yamasaki said, kneeling next to them.  
  
“Yes, it looks like it’s got worse…” Tsuneo sighed. Since the beginning of the Katastrophe, Kyo had been acting strangely, and now he was in this state… “Wait !” It suddenly clicked in Tsuneo’s mind. “Could it be… withdrawal symptoms ?”  
  
“It… makes sense,” Yamasaki agreed, thoughtful.  
  
“Kyo, when was the last time you… you shot up ?”  
  
Kyo ignored him and kept saying that he was cold. Tsuneo caught his shaking hands to force him to look at him, and asked the question again.  
  
“I… I don’t… know… don’t remember…” Kyo stuttered, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. “It hurts… Don’t… have… anymore…”  
  
“Let’s get going !” Kei shouted.  
  
“Ah ! Wait !” Yamasaki called, but too late. The transfer had already begun. Tsuneo hurried to pick Kyo’s Z-gun on the floor, not to lose it behind during the transfer.  
  
They arrived in another room with pools again. It was endless ! How many more times were they going to do this ? But in his state, Kyo couldn’t do anything.  
  
“Arghh !”  
  
“Help !”  
  
“Kyah !” The people shouted in the pools.  
  
“Go save them, I take care of him,” Tsuneo said to Yamasaki.  
  
“Alright !” She left and went to the pools.  
  
While the others were rescuing people, Tsuneo tried to help Kyo calm down. He didn’t know what to do. Kyo was suffering and he didn’t know how to help him. He rubbed his arms to warm him up, and told him to breathe deeply and slowly. That seemed to help a little. Kyo threw up a couple of times, and after a while, he seemed a little bit better. He was still sweating and shivering, but he could control himself now.  
  
“I’m… I’m sorry…” he said, his voice still weak.  
  
“Come on, it’s not your fault…” Tsuneo answered, continuing to gently rub his arms.  
  
“Th… Thanks for taking care of me. It’s not… really a great time to be sick, ahah…” he laughed faintly.  
  
“It doesn’t matter, don’t worry…” he sighed. “But… Why didn’t you… you know, shoot up yourself ?” Not that he supported the use of drugs. On the contrary, he wanted Kyo to stop injecting this shit in his blood. But indeed, it wasn’t really a good time to wean him off it…  
  
“I… I’ve been dead for half a week… When we went back there, last time… my room had already… already been looted,” he explained through his teeth’s chatters. “It’s my co... ‘co-workers’… They didn’t touch the money or the laptop… they were just searching for… for drugs…”  
  
“I see…” Tsuneo sighed. Kyo hadn’t had the choice. Not only had he been through the war, like everybody else, assuming the responsibility of leader of the Osaka Team, but he had also been forced to suddenly stop taking drugs. Tsuneo couldn’t imagine what he was going through right now… During all this time, he had just been relying on Kyo without seeing that his state was deteriorating… How shameful, he thought, angry with himself.  
  
“I thought… I thought I was stronger,” Kyo continued. “I didn’t think I was… so addict…”  
  
“If… If I can, I’ll help you going through this,” Tsuneo said, determined to make Kyo feel better.  
  
“Thank… Thank you…” he whispered. “Ca… Can you stay here with me ? I’m… cold…”  
  
Tsuneo installed himself next to Kyo, against the wall, and took him in his arms to warm him up. For a while, he continued shivering, but then he calmed down and just stayed in Tsuneo’s arms, breathing slowly.  
  
They were transferred again, but stayed together while the other gantzers were busy saving people. Tsuneo had his own person to save, he didn’t have time for the others.  
  
At this moment, a wall exploded in a great noise, projecting fragments of concrete everywhere. Two giants entered, accompanied by a monster with two heads. Their arrival brought panic in the room. The people still in the pool were crying, fleeing in every direction, and the gantzers were shouting to Gantz to transfer the civilians.  
  
The giants began killing everyone, firing lightnings from their hands. They were aiming at the naked people. The beast attacked too, cutting people, killing them with its long, sharp claws.  
  
“Oh no…” Tsuneo moaned, frightened. There was nothing they could do against such a monster ! And he had to protect Kyo !  
  
“Gi… Give me my Z-gun !” Kyo asked weakly.  
  
“Are you crazy ?! You’re in no state to fight !”  
  
“N… No ! I’m ok…” he said, getting up hesitantly. He picked his Z-gun on the ground himself, since Tsuneo didn’t want to give him. He took a deep breath. His hands were shaking, but he could do it. He had rested enough. Now that his fit was over, he could control himself. He could endure the pain.  
  
“Wait ! I’m not gonna let you go near this !” Tsuneo said, catching him by the waist and dragging him away.  
  
“S… Stop it ! I can fight !” he cried stubbornly, but he couldn’t resist. Even in a normal state, he wasn’t very strong physically compared to the other gantzers, even Tsuneo, and he was even weaker now. So he surrendered and watched from the distance Ryuuji and Kaze kill the beast, while Kaiji was cutting down the giants.  
  
Tsuneo observed them too, astonished. These guys, they were monsters ! Ryuuji must be a boxer, he was fighting with his fists. But such power… Only one of his punches was enough to send the beast on the ground. Kaze, the strongest man of the group, was tearing one of the monster’s head to pieces with his bare hands ! And Kaiji was fighting with two swords, dismembering and beheading the giants with a disconcerting ease… How could such guys exist ? Were they even humans ? For the first time, Tsuneo began to think that they could win this war, finally.  
  
“Hurrah !!” the crowd exclaimed, when the aliens had been killed, without a single casualty among the gantzers. It was possible, Tsuneo thought, regaining hope. They could do it. They could survive this war !  
  
Soon after, everyone had been transferred on the surface, and the gantzers were transferred back in the room. It was good to be back in a familiar environment, even for a short time. Tsuneo helped Kyo sit on the floor, against a wall. Kato asked Gantz about the statistics of the concentration camps. It seemed that they had save 60% of the captives. That was good, but they wouldn’t stop until everyone was safe. Nishi had stayed here while they were risking their lives, and told them they were ‘fucking idiots’ to do what they were doing.  
  
Tsuneo wondered why this middle schooler was acting like that. He seemed skilled. He had a Z-gun, that meant he had already had 100 points, he would be helpful if only he wanted to join the group. Someone had to tell him to shut his filthy mouth and help the others, but nobody seemed to care.  
  
“Eh ? What’s this thing ?” Kei exclaimed, looking at his phone.  
  
“What is it ?” Reika asked.  
  
“My phone, it’s working again. Look.”  
  
“Huh ?” she looked at the screen, joined by Toshio and Kaiji.  
  
“Terrorists ? Us ?” Toshio exclaimed, shocked.  
  
“People insult us on the web !” Kaiji shouted, indignant.  
  
In turn, they all went to see what was going on. It seemed that the aliens had broadcast a message, saying that the peace was proclaimed, and that terrorists in black suits were fighting against this peace. It was false, of course, but everyone seemed to believe it ! How could they ? They were risking their lives to save them, and they thought they were terrorists ?  
  
“It doesn’t matter !” Kato declared. “We have to save them anyway !”  
  
“Y… Yes !” Yamasaki agreed. “When we save them, they will know that we aren’t terrorists !”  
  
It was obvious. Nobody wanted to stop rescuing them just because of that, except Nishi, but it didn’t matter since he hadn’t wanted to help in the first place. But most of them felt insulted anyway.  
  
All of them were tired, hungry, and a little angry. Not to mention that they were still shocked from the attack of the beast. Ryuuji asked for a break, the time to eat something and get some rest, and they all agreed.  
  
Some of them went out to search for food, while the others could rest a little. When they came back with food, they ate with appetite, needing energy after the fight against the beast. Tsuneo had a stomach ache. Seeing all these dead people was making him sick. But Kyo was in an even worse state, so he ate his share anyway and tried to make Kyo eat too. It was hard. Kyo was feeling nauseous and didn’t want to eat. But he finally surrendered and ate a little, not much but enough to feel a little bit better. He drank a lot too, to wash the taste of vomit from his mouth.  
  
After this quick meal, Reika and Kei came to see them. Tsuneo was a little nervous, to be this close to the idol. Ridiculous, Kyo thought.  
  
“Are you ok ?” Kei inquired, worried.  
  
“Y… Yes. I… I’ll be ok from now on, I think,” he answered, trying to smile reassuringly. With the sleeve of his hoodie, he wiped the sweat from his face.  
  
“You’re… Tsuneo, that’s it ?” Reika asked to Tsuneo. “It was you who revived Yamasaki ?”  
  
“Y… Yes !” Tsuneo blushed, readjusting his glasses.  
  
“That’s impressive, in only two missions you were able to get 100 points !” she exclaimed.  
  
“A… Actually… I got 205 points,” he answered, embarrassed. He didn’t want to show off, but it was the truth.  
  
“205 points !” Kei shouted, astonished. “Kato, you hear that ?”  
  
“You’re amazing Tsuneo !” Reika said. Tsuneo blushed and had a nervous laugh.  
  
“But why don’t you have a Z-gun too, if you’ve got so many points ?” Kei asked.  
  
“Because he also revived _me_ ,” Kyo said, insisting on the word and throwing a dark look at Reika.  
  
“Y… Yes,” Tsuneo confirmed.  
  
“You revived two persons ? Incredible !” Reika exclaimed, impressed. “Since we have time, why don’t you tell us everything that happened in Osaka after the Nurarihyon mission ?”  
  
Tsuneo agreed and they all sat on the ground. He told them almost everything. Kei was listening with attention, since he had been dead during this period. Reika seemed interested too. Maybe too much, Kyo thought. Why was she so nice with _his_ Tsuneo ? Even worse, Tsuneo was blushing and stuttering while talking to her. Maybe if he tried to seduce Kei, she would leave Tsuneo alone, Kyo thought. But he was in no state to do it, with all this sweat on his face…  
  
When the story was over, Kei and Reika got up and told everyone to get ready. They would be transferred in five minutes.  
  
“Are you really ok ?” Tsuneo asked, still worried. “You haven’t eaten much and you seemed nervous when Reika and Kei were here…”  
  
“Yes, I… I’m ok…” Kyo sighed. He couldn’t tell him that he was just jealous… But he had an idea. “Thank you for taking care of me.” Looking around to check if Reika could see them, he grabbed Tsuneo’s head and languorously kissed him.  
  
After the first shock, Tsuneo gently pushed him back, embarrassed.  
  
“N… Not in front of everyone…” he blushed. But Kyo glanced at Reika and saw that she was blushing too and looking elsewhere.  
  
“Sorry,” Kyo smiled, satisfied. It seemed that Kei and some of the other guys were looking at them with disgust, but he couldn’t care less.  
  
“You should stay here…” Tsuneo said, coming to his senses and grabbing his shotgun on the ground.  
  
“No ! I… I can come.” He picked his Z-gun and got up, but felt dizzy and had to put a hand against the wall not to lose balance.  
  
“Come on, you have to rest. It’s better if you stay here…” Tsuneo said, putting a hand on his arm to make him sit again. But Kyo pushed his hand away.  
  
“I told you I’m fine !” he exclaimed weakly. “There’s no way I stay behind like a kid !” And there was no way he left Tsuneo alone with Reika…  
  
“Be reasonable…”  
  
“Gantz !” he shouted stubbornly. “Transfer me first !”  
  
Gantz obeyed and Kyo was transferred, disappearing from the room. Sighing, Tsuneo followed him, his shotgun in the hands. It should be alright, he thought. They were just going to save people. If another beast attacked, Kaze and Ryuuji would take care of it, and Kyo wouldn’t have to fight.  
  
They arrived in yet another room similar to the others. Kei and Hyoma quickly stopped the current, and the gantzers began saving people again.  
  
For a while, Kyo saved people with the others, but he was forced to stop after saving a dozen of them. His hands were beginning to shake again, and he was breathless and sweating, exhausted by the effort. His fit had left him weaker than he had thought.  
  
He got away from the group, trying to catch his breath. He didn’t want to make another fit. And he didn’t want Tsuneo to worry either, they didn’t have time for that. Taking deep, slow breaths, he managed to calm himself. Damn, he was too weak to even help people going out of the pools…  
  
But he had to do something, he couldn’t stay idly by while the others were doing all the work… So he joined the group of naked people who were already on the side, and explained to them that they were going to be transferred soon and that they would have to hide in basements. That was the least he could do, but he felt useless anyway.  
  
“You’re ok ?” Tsuneo asked, coming to see him after saving a crying child. He had noticed that Kyo was staying on the side.  
  
“Pfff… You were right…” he admitted reluctantly. “May… Maybe I should have stayed behind… I… I’m ok, but I can’t do anything…” Tsuneo put a hand his cheek. His hand felt hot in comparison to his own skin, it was good. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling.  
  
“You… You want Gantz to transfer you back in the room ?” Tsuneo suggested, worried. No, of course he didn’t want, but it seemed that he didn’t really have a choice. So he just sighed and nodded.  
  
The people they had saved began to be transferred, but the transfer stopped when there were still twenty or thirty people with them.  
  
“Gantz ! What are you waiting for ?” someone shouted.  
  
“Gantz !”  
  
“What’s happening ?!”  
  
“The… The transfer doesn’t work anymore ?” Tsuneo asked, confused.  
  
Everyone tensed up, feeling that something was wrong.  
  
“Did… something happened to Gantz ?” Kato said anxiously.  
  
“Takeshi…” Kaze whispered. “Gantz ! Bring Takeshi here !” he began shouting, panicked. “Takeshi ! Send me Takeshi !”  
  
“W… What’s happening ?” the people said, worried. “I’m afraid…”  
  
But soon, the transfer began again.  
  
“Ah ! We’re transferred !” Kato announced.  
  
“We can go back !” Kei added, relieved.  
  
But instead of the well-known Gantz room, they appeared in an old industrial area in ruins.  
  
“What… What is this place ?”  
  
It seems they were still inside the spaceship. Everything was giant, and there wasn’t a sky, but another city upside down far above their heads, exactly like when they had been transferred inside the ship by the group of men controlling the spheres. In the distance, they could see skyscrapers and alien buildings. But around them, everything was destroyed and abandoned.  
  
“Gantz !”  
  
“Gantz ! Transfer us in the room !”  
  
“What happened to him… ?”  
  
Nobody understood anything. Gantz couldn’t have sent them here on purpose ! There were still civilians with them ! Something must have happened to him. Maybe the group of men controlling the sphere had found a way to transfer them here ?  
  
“Eh ! Stay with us !” Kato shouted to the civilians. All of them were going away, trying to find a way through the destroyed buildings.  
  
“Forget it !” one of them said.  
  
“We’re going home !” another declared.  
  
“Stay here !” Reika shouted, but they left anyway.  
  
“What the hell are they thinking ?!” Kei exclaimed angrily, astonished by such stupidity. Were they serious ? Didn’t they see that they were still in the spaceship ? They were going to die if they left on their own !  
  
“Kyo, we have to persuade them to come back,” Tsuneo said.  
  
“Y… Yea,” he agreed. In his state, he thought it was better to stay with Tsuneo, who could calm him if he had another fit.  
  
“I’m coming too,” Yamasaki announced, joining them, her shotgun in the hands.  
  
“Be careful…” Kato said to Yamasaki, worried. She smiled sadly.  
  
“We’re pretty weak, the three of us. It’s pretty much the only thing we can do.”  
  
Kyo was a little annoyed to be considered weak, but in his state he couldn’t really argue… So he bit his lip but didn’t say anything, and followed Tsuneo and Yamasaki. The civilians were already far away, making their way through the rubbles.  
  
“Please, come back !” Tsuneo shouted.  
  
“Come back ! It’s not Tokyo here !” Yamasaki added, but the people weren’t listening.  
  
“What are they talking about ?”  
  
“Leave us alone !” they said, continuing to walk in a random direction.  
  
“What the hell ?” Yamasaki exclaimed, distressed.  
  
“Damn, I can’t believe it !” Kyo shouted angrily.  
  
“They’re completely ignoring us…” Tsuneo said.  
  
Suddenly, the crowd stopped. In front of them, other people were sitting in a circle.  
  
“Is… Is it another concentration camp ?” someone asked. But one of the ‘people’ in front of them got up and looked at them.   
  
He looked like a human, but he was definitely not human, Tsuneo thought with horror. He was naked and skinny as a rail. His skin was grey and reflected the dim light of the building. His eyes were entirely white, and he had a strange sculpture standing on his bald head. Or was it an antenna ? Anyway, this thing was not human.  
  
“Woah ! What the hell are those guys !”  
  
“Th… They’re aliens ?” Kyo asked, nervous, as his hands began shaking again. He breathed deeply. That was bad, he wasn’t ready to fight.  
  
“Cluck ?” the alien said, looking at them with his white eyes. The others began getting up too and saying “Cluck, cluck, cluck.”  
  
“What the… ?”  
  
“Gross !”  
  
“Awful !” the people said.  
  
“Cluck, cluck…” the aliens continued, beginning to walk toward them. People were beginning to panic, crying and not knowing what to do.  
  
“Co… Come back here !” Tsuneo exclaimed, afraid too.   
  
“Let’s go back to where we arrived !” Yamasaki shouted.  
  
Damn, these people were so stupid, Kyo thought. He felt a bead of sweat rolling on his forehead, as his heartrate increased. All his body was aching and he was feeling dizzy, he couldn’t fight in these conditions !  
  
“Oh no… What’s that… ?” Yamasaki asked, distressed. Tsuneo looked at the ceiling, where she was pointing. All the ceiling was covered with aliens, looking like insects or lizards. He gulped, looking at the aliens, helpless. That was sure now, they would die. Kyo was in no state to fight, and Yamasaki and him weren’t really good fighters… Without Kato and the others, they were doomed.  
  
Suddenly, a spider-like alien jumped from the ceiling in the middle of the crowd, soon followed by others. Everyone was screaming, trying to run in every direction, but there were too many of these creatures.  
  
A huge lizard-like alien fell sluggishly on the ground. It was monstrous ! At least 6 meters long, with eyes as big as a human head and mandibles big enough to catch an adult man. The people froze and fell silent, trying not to attract its attention.  
  
“Wha… What do we do ?” Tsuneo stuttered. He was afraid. If only Kato was there, he would know what to do…  
  
Other aliens came in the crowd, wandering, turning around people. They were coming closer and closer, beginning to touch people. It looked like they were testing their limits, trying to determine if the humans were potential preys or predators.  
  
“Think… think…” Yamasaki repeated to herself, her heartrate increasing.  
  
A kind of giant fly jumped on a man and began exploring his body, feeling his head under its mandibles, then going to his chest, and descending toward his belly.  
  
“Raahh ! I’ll kill you ! I’ll smash your fucking head !” the man yelled, catching the alien in his hands. He threw it on the ground and crushed it with his foot, spilling blood and mucus everywhere on the ground. Shouting, he began attacking the other aliens with his bare fists.  
  
Tsuneo watched him fight, too shocked to do anything. But the man was doing quite well. He had managed to kill several of these aliens without getting hurt.  
  
“Yeah !”  
  
“Awesome !”  
  
“You’re the man !” the others were acclaiming.  
  
Feeling galvanized, the man decided to fight against one of the lizard-like creatures.   
  
“You can do it !”  
  
“Kick his ass, old man !”  
  
“You’re the best !”  
  
“Get out of the way ! We can’t fire !” Yamasaki and Tsuneo shouted to the crowd, but they were ignored. They couldn’t fire at the aliens with all these people around.  
  
The man began punching the lizard’s head, under the acclamations of the others. But the lizard was tougher than the other aliens. His skin was harder. The man’s hands were bleeding, but he continued fighting. Once, the lizard attacked with his paw, but the man dodged.  
  
“Go for his eyes !” someone shouted.  
  
But too late. The lizard caught the man in one of his giant paws and began devouring him. The crowd fell silent for a second, shocked, then began panicking, screaming and running in every direction.  
  
Without wasting more time, both Tsuneo and Yamasaki fired at the lizard’s head, making it explode.  
  
“I’m taking care of them ! Go search for Kato and the others !” Yamasaki yelled, raising her shotgun to fire at another alien.  
  
“It’s madness ! We have to stay together !” Tsuneo cried.  
  
The other aliens had begun attacking too, killing people, impaling them on their long appendixes, biting and devouring them.  
  
“Everyone, get behind us !” Yamasaki ordered.  
  
“Kyo ! What are you doing ?! Help us !” Tsuneo shouted, looking around to search for Kyo. He was behind, sitting on the ground, his head in his hands. He didn’t seem to even realize what was happening around him. “Damn, we don’t have time for that !” Tsuneo cried, killing another alien. They didn’t have a choice, they would have to do it without Kyo.  
  
Around them, people were dying everywhere, helpless. Cursing, Tsuneo dodge a spider’s leg and fired at its body, making it explode. Immediately after, he pulled someone from a lizard’s mouth and killed it. A giant mollusk alien was crushing people under its numerous legs.  
  
“We have to kill this thing !” Tsuneo shouted.  
  
“Go find Kato and the others !” Yamasaki answered, but he couldn’t leave her in this mess. Above all, he couldn’t leave Kyo unprotected.  
  
“I can’t ! There’re too many aliens !” he argued.  
  
They both directed their shotguns at the mollusk creature and fired. It exploded, releasing thousands of small luminous balls, floating in the air.  
  
Time seemed to stop. Everybody was watching these lights, fascinated and afraid. Even the aliens had retreated, interrupting their attack. Tsuneo gulped. He had a bad feeling. These lights, whatever they were, it couldn’t be good.  
  
“D… Don’t touch the lights !” he shouted, without even realizing it. For the first time, the civilians obeyed without protesting. Everyone was scared of these lights, without knowing why. It was instinctive.  
  
The lights were slowly falling, like snowflakes. People tried to avoid them, watching them fall as if they were hypnotized, captivated.  
  
“Wh… What’s this… ?” someone said, touched by a light. The light entered in his arm, under his skin. Several other people were touched.  
  
“This thing… What is it ? Ahh !” a man yelled, when the light, forming a bubble under his skin, began running on his body, going to his head.  
  
“No ! No ! Ahh !” a woman watched him, helpless and frightened.  
  
“Ahh ! Ouch ! My… My head ! It hurts ! Argh ! It hurts so much !” the man complained. Blood was pouring from the top of his head. “Arghh !”  
  
“Gyaaah !!” the woman screamed, as arms began coming out of the man’s head. Arms, and feet, and heads, and blood, a lot of blood.  
  
Tsuneo was dumbfounded. He observed the scene without moving, the fear growing in his chest. This man was turning into a monster ! A pile of arms, legs, heads, mouths, screaming in pain ! Around them, other people were turning into monsters too. And these monsters began killing everyone around them, causing chaos and panic.  
  
“Im… Impossible…” Tsuneo whispered, his lower lip trembling as he watched them with round eyes. In front of him, one of the monsters exploded, spreading blood everywhere.  
  
“Tsuneo ! Kill them ! Fire !” Yamasaki shouted, pointing her shotgun at another monster. On the ground, the remnants of the first monster’s body began moving again, creating new heads and legs and screaming in pain. “Tsuneo !” Yamasaki cried again, overtaken by the events.  
  
“Y… Yes !” he finally reacted, pointing his shotgun at the creature that was once human, crawling on the ground in front of him. It exploded, finally dead. But other monsters were everywhere around !  
  
Yelling, Tsuneo threw himself in the battle with Yamasaki. How... How such thing could exist ! They couldn’t fight against such abominations ! Everyone around them was dying, eaten by these monsters.  
  
Jumping over a corpse, he fired at a monster’s head, making it explode, but it had several other heads ! He fired again and again, and the monster was screaming, more arms growing out of its body. It finally died, but another monster was coming from the left. Without wasting time, Tsuneo aimed at it. A hand caught his foot from behind, sending him to the ground. With a scream, he kicked the hand, from which a leg was growing, and quickly fired at it. Another monster caught him, and he struggled, crying and yelling. He hit the monster with his elbow before it could bit him, sending it to the ground because of the suit’s power, and killed it. A few meters away, Yamasaki was fighting with all her might too, firing, kicking, hitting in every direction, and yelling.  
  
It wasn’t a fight they could win ! Tsuneo realized with horror that they were fighting against human beings ! These… things they were killing, they were humans, they were victims, and they were killing them ! Now they were fighting against themselves, as if the aliens weren’t enough ! But they didn’t have a choice, these monsters were killing the other humans !  
  
Panting and crying, Tsuneo fired one last time at a monster, finally relieving the pain of the person it once was. Yamasaki was on the ground, blood running from her nose. Trying to catch her breath, she slowly got up. Tsuneo had been injured too. Blood was running from his nose and mouth, and one of his teeth was broken. His glasses were cracked, making it hard to see correctly. Both their suits were broken, a thick black fluid coming out of the caps. Behind them, people were crying, afraid and horrified by the slaughter.  
  
“Th… This time… It’s the end…” Yamasaki said in despair.  
  
Above their heads, more aliens were coming. These ones were stronger and bigger. One of them was different. It was giant, its shape was globally human, but it didn’t have a head. Instead, long appendixes were coming out of its neck. It had a face on its chest. Tsuneo felt his heart miss a beat when he saw the expression of pain on its face. This time, he was really going to die, he could feel it in his heart.  
  
The aliens landed on the ground with a great noise. Tsuneo didn’t even have time to raise his shotgun. One of the aliens hurled its claws toward him.  
  
“Yeaargh !” Tsuneo screamed, feeling his right foot explode. He fell on the ground, overwhelmed by the pain. “Aaahh ! My foot ! My foot !”  
  
“Oh no… It’s the end !” Yamasaki shouted. “I’ll never go back home !”  
  
Tsuneo was plunged in a river of pain. He was holding his leg, helpless. He was bleeding too much. He felt the life leaving his body. His mind was already becoming cloudy. He would die here.  
  
That’s when he saw him. An angel flying over their heads. An angel sent to save him, once again. Shouting, Kato jumped over their heads, raising his sword. Tsuneo’s eyes closed themselves, the pain was too much to bear.  
  
He heard voices around him, people fighting. Kato was here, he would save them all. It was alright, if Kato was here. Everything would be fine. But Tsuneo felt his strengths disappear. It was the end for him. He would die here, in this spaceship. He should have stayed in Osaka. He should have listened to Kyo…  
  
“Yo,” someone said. His mind was cloudy, he couldn’t recognize the voice. He wasn’t even sure that he had heard it. But he felt a hand on his leg and his suit being ripped, so he opened his eyes with difficulty.  
  
“To… Toshio ?” he asked weakly, recognizing the middle aged man. Toshio had a half-smile. He was knotting a piece of suit around his leg, forming a tourniquet to prevent him to bleed to death.  
  
“Ca… Can we still… be transferred ?” Tsuneo asked. It was hard talking. It was hard even breathing.  
  
“Transferred ? Well… Frankly, it seems compromised…”  
  
“You… You mean… we can’t go… back in the room ?”  
  
“It looks like it…” Toshio sighed. Tsuneo felt a knot forming in his throat. So he would really die here… They would all die here… Kyo… Where was he ? Was he already dead ?  
  
“Did… Did anyone… else… died ?” he asked with difficulty. Toshio didn’t answer for a while.  
  
“Makoto... died…” he finally said. For a second, Tsuneo felt relieved. Kyo was not dead yet ! But Makoto… He was one of the good fighters, wasn’t he ?  
  
“Makoto… really died ? Ma… Makoto… Then we’re all… gonna die…” he sighed. Toshio didn’t answer. He must know too that they were all doomed. “This thing… on the ceiling… you see it ?”  
  
“Yes, I see it,” Toshio answered.  
  
“If… If it fights us… it will be the end… right ?”  
  
“Hum… Maybe. On the other hand, I wouldn’t count us out yet… These things are monstrous but… On our side too, we have monsters…” Saying this, he was watching the others fighting. Mary, and Kaze, and Ryuuji, they were killing the beasts with their bare hands and feet. Such power couldn’t exist… Kei, Kato and Hyoma were cutting the aliens with their swords, but the most impressive was Kaiji, fighting with two swords and dodging the aliens’ attack with such ease. He was moving so fast, helped by the suit, that he was blurry.  
  
“We can do it ! We can kill them !” Kei shouted.  
  
“Man, who are these guys…” Toshio sighed, impressed. “Incredible… And to think that they all ended up in the same team…”  
  
Could they really do it ? Toshio seemed to keep hope. Maybe… Maybe they were going to make it, Tsuneo thought. Maybe they would survive, against all odds ? Kato was able to do it, surely. But himself… He couldn’t see how he would survive now. His foot was cut, and even with the tourniquet, he had lost too much blood. That was sure now, he wasn’t going to survive. He would never come home. He would never see his family again. His family was probably already dead anyway…  
  
And Chie, he would never see her laugh again. It was amazing, how he had become attached to the little girl in such a short time. He felt linked to her. Since this night in Italy, their fate had been linked together. But he would never saw her again. She would be alone from now on…  
  
Kyo… He would never see Kyo again either. He wished he could see him one last time before dying. He wished he could hold him in his arms and kiss his delicate lips, once more. He wished he had time to tell him that he loved him and that he was happy to have revived him. But it was too late…  
  
“Where… Where is Kyo…” he whispered weakly. “Find… Kyo, please…”  
  
Toshio nodded and left his side.  
  
Kyo was curled up in a corner, his head in his hands, crying and sweating. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t hold back his tears. All his body was shaking uncontrollably. And this pain in his chest, it was awful ! All his muscles and bones were hurting, but his chest was the worst. It had to stop… He couldn’t bear the pain anymore…   
  
If only Tsuneo was here, he would know what to do… He would know how to calm him… If he felt Tsuneo’s arms around his body, he would surely fell less cold and calm down. Tsuneo… What was it again ? Deep, slow breaths ? But he couldn’t breathe deeply, the pain was excruciating ! All he could do was pant like a dog and chatter his teeth…  
  
“Hey girlie, are you ok ? You don’t seem fine…” someone said.  
  
Kyo raised his tearful eyes to the newcomer, trying to understand his words. It was the old guy, what was his name again ? Toshiya ? No, Toshio ? What did this old guy want ? Couldn’t he leave him alone ? He was in no state to speak to people right now... Wait… Girlie ?  
  
“I’m… not… a girl…” he managed to pronounce through his chattering teeth. Damn, this old guy was senile or what ?  
  
“Really ? Oh… Sorry…” Toshio said, surprised. He muttered to himself something that looked like ‘kids these days…’ before continuing. “Anyway, what happened to you ? Are you harmed ?”  
  
Kyo didn’t understand the meaning of this question. All he could do was shivering.  
  
“It hurts… it… it hurts…” he kept repeating.  
  
“Can you get up ? Tsuneo told me to find you.”  
  
Tsuneo ? Why was this old guy talking about Tsuneo ? Where was he anyway ? If only he was here, it would be easier. Everything would be alright…  
  
“Tsu… Tsuneo…” Kyo whispered, helpless.  
  
Suddenly, he felt himself leave the solid ground and rise in the air. What the hell was happening now ? He felt sick, lifted in the air like that.  
  
“Stop struggling !” Toshio argued. Kyo realized that the old guy was carrying him in his arms and taking him somewhere. He should be ashamed, to be carried like a child, but right now he was too sick to care. All he knew was that it was giving him vertigo. His head was spinning and he heard himself moan weakly.  
  
Tsuneo felt his heart miss a beat when he saw Toshio come back, carrying Kyo’s body in his arms. Did… Did something happened to Kyo ? Was he hurt ? Was he… dead ? No, he couldn’t be dead, he was flailing in Toshio’s arms, Tsuneo noticed with relief. But then, why was he being carried ? Was he having a fit again ?  
  
“Found him,” Toshio announced, putting Kyo on the ground next to Tsuneo.  
  
“It hurts… cold… s… so much…” Kyo was saying, all his body shivering. He didn’t seem to have seen Tsuneo.  
  
“K… Kyo…” he called weakly. Kyo started and looked around, trying to find him.  
  
“Tsu… Tsuneo,” he sobbed, his lips trembling. “Where… where are you… ?”  
  
Tsuneo felt the tears filled his eyes. It was the last time he saw Kyo, since he was going to die. He didn’t want to remember him like that. He didn’t want to remember the crying Kyo, lost and weak. He wanted to remember the awesome fighter who had saved his live so many times. The lively boy he had fell in love with.  
  
“Kyo…” he repeated, catching one of his shaking hands. It was hard moving, but he had to.  
  
“Tsuneo !” Kyo cried, suddenly seeing him. “Wh… Where were you… ? I nee… need you…” Tsuneo sighed. Kyo didn’t seem to understand the situation. Maybe he wasn’t even aware that the aliens had attacked.  
  
“I… I’m dying, Kyo…” he said, feeling the tears rolling on his cheeks to the ground.  
  
“Dy… Dying ? What are you… talking about !” Kyo answered, confused. “What’s this… this… thing, on your face ?” He touched Tsuneo’s face and watched his reddened fingers with horror.  
  
“Blood…” Tsuneo whispered. “I’m dying… I won’t last long…”  
  
Seeing the blood seemed to make Kyo snap out of it. He suddenly heard how weak Tsuneo’s voice was. He could suddenly hear the despair in it. He looked at Tsuneo, horrified, and finally saw his leg.  
  
“Oh no… Tsu… Tsuneo… what happened… ?” he asked, his hands still shaking. How was it possible ? What the hell had happened while he was crying on the ground like a child ?  
  
“The… The aliens…” Tsuneo answered faintly. “I’ll die soon… Kyo, I… I want to tell you… before I die… I love you…”  
  
“No ! Shut up !” Kyo cried, frightened. “You’re not going to die ! I won’t let you die !”  
  
“Reviving you was… the right choice. Yes, I… I made the right choice…”  
  
“Stop it ! You can’t die ! You can’t !” He tried to shake him, but it was useless.  
  
“Kyo… One last time… K… Kiss me, please…” he pleaded, crying. Kyo was frozen. He looked at Tsuneo’s white, bloodless lips and knew that he wasn’t going to survive. It was just a matter of time now. Slowly, he leaned over Tsuneo and pressed their lips together, for the last time. He couldn’t hold back his tears. They were falling on Tsuneo’s face, wetting the dried blood on his cheeks. His lips were so cold… Why couldn’t he protect him ? Why wasn’t he able to protect him at the end ? He should have been the one dying ! He should have given his life to protect Tsuneo ! He should have fought at his side and saved him !  
  
“I’ll kill them…” he whispered, gritting his teeth. “I’ll do it myself… I’ll kill them all…”  
  
“No… stay here…” Tsuneo complained, but Kyo couldn’t hear him anymore. He got up and took his sword, obsessed by the idea. It was the only thing in his mind now. Killing. He had to kill them. He took a deep breath. His hands weren’t shaking anymore, his chest wasn’t hurting anymore. He could do it !  
  
“Kyo, no…” Tsuneo cried at his feet, but he ignored him. He could do it. He had to do it. His hands tightened firmly around his sword. Tsuneo tried to sit up, but he couldn’t move. He watched helplessly as Kyo ran toward the enemy.  
  
The others were already fighting, but there were a lot of aliens, and they were powerful. Raising his sword above his head, Kyo jumped, and cut an alien’s arm. He dodged a claw, and cut another arm. Taking a deep breath, he jumped again and beheaded the alien. He could do it. It wasn’t so hard, now that the pain had disappeared.  
  
He ran toward another alien, immediately cutting its legs in a broad movement. The alien fell on the ground, and he jumped on it, driving his sword deep in its chest. Another alien threw its arm in his direction, but he avoided it, feeling its claws passing two centimeters from his face. He took a step back, but quickly recovered and charged against the beast, yelling. Raising his blade, he cut the alien in half. But he hadn’t seen the tail, or was it a tentacle, coming to his right.  
  
“No ! Kyo !” Tsuneo screamed. The tentacle sent Kyo fly in the air and crash against a wall, far away. He couldn’t even see where he had crashed.  
  
Tsuneo tried to get up, but he was too weak, and he couldn’t walk with his leg. But he had to help Kyo ! He had to do something ! He used his last strengths to crawl on the ground, hardly dragging himself forward.  
  
“Stop it ! You can’t go there !” Toshio exclaimed, catching him.  
  
“Kyo !” he only yelled, despaired. He struggled to escape, but he was too weak. Why was Toshio stopping him ? Why was he preventing him to go help Kyo ? It was ridiculous ! Didn’t he see that Kyo needed help ?  
  
“It’s over ! He’s already dead ! You can’t do anything !” Toshio shouted. Tsuneo suddenly stopped struggling. His body fell limp in Toshio’s arm as all his strengths were abandoning him. Dead ? Kyo ? It couldn’t be true… He couldn’t be dead… Toshio didn’t know what he was talking about. Kyo couldn’t die like that, he couldn’t die…  
  
“N… No…” he only muttered, a knot in the throat. He knew he would see Kyo get up in an instant and go back in the battle. Then why was his chest hurting so much suddenly ? Why was he feeling so despaired all of a sudden ? He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t say anything anymore. He could only stare blankly where Kyo had been a second before and cry all the tears of his body.  
  
“You have heard Kato earlier…” Toshio said. “Only one attack and it’s over… I’m sorry, Kyo is dead…”


	8. Not dead yet

Kyo opened his eyes with difficulties. Damn, his head was hurting so much... What had happened ? Why was he lying on the ground, face down ? His head was spinning too much, he couldn’t remember anything. Every inch of his body was hurting. He tried to get up, but was stopped by a great pain in his right arm.  
  
“Argh !” he cried, gritting his teeth. “Oh no…” he moaned, looking at his arm, and had to put his hand on his mouth to prevent from throwing up. The angle formed by his arm was everything but natural…  
  
It was not his only wound, he realized. His right brow ridge was open, bleeding heavily, and his nose must be broken. It was bleeding too and hurting. His suit was broken… Under it, he could feel a lot of cuts and bruises. Most of his clothes had been ripped too.  
  
He got up slowly, careful not to use his broken arm, and looked around. The ground was covered with corpses. Aliens’ corpses, but also human corpses, everywhere. He began to remember. He had been kicked by an alien and had probably crashed against this wall as a result. The shock had been enough to break his suit… It was a miracle that he was still alive.  
  
Where were the others ? All the aliens here were dead, had they killed them all ? He had to search for them. With a sigh, he took off his ripped cloth, only keeping his damaged hoodie over his suit. With the remnants of his t-shirt, he tried to mop the blood from his brow, but it was still bleeding. Sighing, he picked his sword from the ground and began wandering in the building, searching for the others.  
  
“What the… ?” he exclaimed, frowning.  
  
In the middle of the room, a sword was stuck in the ground and a giant alien was leaning on the blade, its head pierced. This thing… this alien, it had a human face in its chest. How was it possible ? Could it be possible that this thing used to be human ? He shivered at the thought.  
  
Anyway, this giant alien looked like the ‘boss’, like in the usual missions. Around it, all the aliens were smaller. If this thing was dead, did it mean that Tsuneo and the others were alive ? But Tsuneo… His foot was cut… If he didn’t receive treatment soon, he would die !  
  
“Tsuneo…” he whispered, desperately looking everywhere to search for the gantzers’ corpses. But all he could see was dead aliens, everywhere, and dead naked people. Tsuneo was nowhere to be found. Was he still alive ? At least, he was still alive when they had left the building. But with a cut foot, his state would quickly deteriorate… Oh no, he was probably dead now… He had probably bled to death…  
  
His good hand was beginning to shake again. He raised his head and breathed slowly. Tsuneo couldn’t be dead. He refused to believe it. A bead of sweat ran down his temple. Tsuneo couldn’t die like that. He may not be the best fighter, but he was strong ! After all, he had got 200 points. Yes, he must be alive. He had to be. It couldn’t be otherwise.  
  
Kyo wandered in the building, not really knowing what he was searching. His arm and his chest were hurting, but he had to keep moving. There were no gantzers’ corpses around and no abandoned weapons either, apart from his own sword and Z-gun, which was still in the corner where he had had his fit, and the sword he had seen earlier, piercing the alien’s head. That could only mean that all the gantzers had left the building alive, right ? But why didn’t they have taken his Z-gun ? Were they in a hurry ?  
  
Anyway, they had abandoned him here… Kyo couldn’t believe that Tsuneo would have abandoned him like that, but with his cut foot he probably didn’t have other choice but to be carried by the others. And they must have thought that he was dead, anyway…  
  
What would he do now, alone here ? He had his weapons, but his suit was broken and he was injured. And given that he couldn’t hold back his tears and that his hand was shaking, he was probably on the verge of having another fit… That was not a good time. He had to go out and search for the others first. He sat down for a moment and breathed slowly, trying to empty his mind.  
  
He had to move, he thought after a while. He had to find the others. He got up carefully. His sword was in the holster at his leg, and he was forced to hold the Z-gun in his left hand. He hoped he wouldn’t have to fight like that… Stepping over the dead aliens, he got out of the building.  
  
“Oh no…”   
  
Outside, a huge creature was dead, but what worried him was this mound of earth, in the middle of the square. It was… a grave, wasn’t it ? He ran toward it, his heart pounding. Was it Tsuneo’s grave ? Had he finally died from his wound ? Oh no, it couldn’t be anything else… Tsuneo couldn’t have survived such a wound, and the others must have buried him here…  
  
He sighed with relief and almost laughed when he saw the name on the grave, written on the earth. Reika  ! It was Reika’s grave ! It wasn’t Tsuneo’s ! He was alive ! If he was dead, the others would have buried him here too, but there was only Reika. Kyo should probably feel a little ashamed to be so relieved, but he really didn’t care about Reika’s death. After all, he didn’t know her, and at least now he didn’t have to be jealous anymore.  
  
In fact, it was even good news to have found this grave. If the others had taken the time to burry Reika, that meant that they were alive and that all the aliens in the area were dead. Maybe the tourniquet around Tsuneo’s leg had been enough to save him, after all.  
  
But where were they now ? Had they found a way to leave this place ? Had they been transferred somewhere else ?  
  
“Gantz !” he tried. “Transfer me ! Gantz ! Dammit…”  
  
Nothing happened. There was definitely something wrong with Gantz. If he couldn’t transfer anymore, maybe the others had found another way to escape the spaceship on their own ? Anyway, staying here was useless. He got up and decided to go toward the skyscrapers he could see in the distance.  
  
He kept walking, making his way through the rubbles. He found other dead aliens on the way. Damn, these skyscrapers were so far, he walked but didn’t seem to get any closer. He was getting tired. His arm was hurting. His whole body was hurting, from the wounds but also from the lack of drugs. But he forced himself to keep going forward, breathing deeply and trying to ignore the pain.  
  
After what seemed like an hour, he finally could see a fence. It was an electrified fence, higher than the surrounding buildings. Finally, a glimmer of hope ! He ran toward it.  
  
But the fence suddenly disappeared from his sight, replaced by the dim light of a seedy hangar. What the hell ? Had he been transferred ? It was the only possible explanation. He was now in a hangar, probably still on the spaceship, given the size of everything. There were a lot of aircraft wrecks and shells. What the hell was he doing here ?  
  
The transfer had at least had one advantage, he wasn’t wounded anymore, and his suit worked again ! But he was still alone. That could only mean that the others had left the spaceship. Or... that they were all dead… But after seeing Reika’s grave, he couldn’t believe in this hypothesis. Yes, they must have found a way to escape the spaceship.   
  
He didn’t understand why he was here, or why he had been transferred again, but he had to keep moving. Taking his Z-gun back in his right hand, he went toward the door of the hangar. He tried to be discreet, who knew what could hide in the dark, behind all those wrecks ? But as he arrived in front of the door, he froze.  
  
Between him and the door, a dozen of dog-like creatures were busy devouring something. Something that looked too much like human beings. Putting a hand on his mouth to suppress a scream, he hid behind an aircraft shell. God, these things were huge ! Their height at the withers must be at least two meters ! It was not the first time he fought against something huge, but these half dog, half insect aliens were scaring him for an unknown reason.  
  
Sweating and trying to breathe as silently as possible, he glanced at the monsters. They hadn’t seen him yet. Behind them, the door was ajar. Fighting them would be the quickest way to leave this place, but could he really do it ? He had the Z-gun, but his hands were shaking, and he was shivering in fear. He aimed at them, but his fingers couldn’t pull the trigger. Each time he tried to fire, he was petrified.  
  
Damn, why was he so afraid of these things ? He had fought against far worst aliens during the missions ! But… He was high every time… The drugs helped him control his fear, that’s why he used to shoot himself up before every mission… And if he had managed to fight since the beginning of the Katastrophe, without the drugs, it was to protect Tsuneo. Now that he was alone, he was helpless and scared…  
  
While he hesitated, one of the dogs raised his monstrous head, smelling a new scent.  
  
“Ouaf ?” the dog-like alien exclaimed, wondering where this new scent came from. The others began looking around too. “Ouarf ? Ouaf ?”  
  
Oh god, that was bad… What to do ? He couldn’t stay here, they would find him… But his legs were hardly supporting his own weight, and he was too afraid to move.  
  
The dogs came closer and found him, leaning against the aircraft, panting. They watched him with curiosity, waving their antennas.  
  
“Ouaf ?” one of the dog exclaimed. He sniffed Kyo, bringing his scaly head against his arm. Kyo couldn’t move, he was paralyzed by the fear. But maybe if he didn’t move, the aliens wouldn’t attack ?  
  
“G… Go away…” he moaned weakly, terrified. He tightened his hand around the Z-gun, but he couldn’t do anything. Suddenly, the dog opened his mouth and caught Kyo’s upper body in his fangs.  
  
“Argh ! Ahh ! Let me go !” he screamed. The suit was hissing. He would be devoured if he didn’t move ! He would be torn to pieces and end up in these monsters’ stomachs ! He couldn’t die like that ! His heart was pounding and he felt the suit swell around his arms. Gritting his teeth, he used the suit’s strength to break the dog’s jaw.  
  
“Kai !” the dog cried in pain, releasing Kyo who fell on the ground. The other dogs began barking too, showing their fangs and attacking him with their paws.  
  
Without wasting more time, Kyo fired with the Z-gun, killing two dogs, and ran away. The dogs were running after him, barking.  
  
Kyo ran as fast as he could, trying to lose the dogs between the aircrafts’ wrecks, but they were fast too. He had to found a way out of this hangar, quickly !  
  
In front of him, a dog jumped from an aircraft, fangs bared. Kyo dodged and cut the dog’s legs with his sword. The others dogs were almost catching up with him, and another pack was coming from the left, barking and shouting. Damn, how many of them were there ? He fired in their general direction with the Z-gun and fled, not even looking if he had touched some of them.  
  
He ran and ran, occasionally firing at his back, zigzagging between the wrecks. He didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was that he had to run to escape these things. But it was a mistake. Soon, he realized with horror that he was in a dead end ! The dogs’ barks were coming closer, there was no way he could escape now ! Unless…  
  
With his sword, he cut the metallic wall of the hangar. He kicked in the wall to create an opening, and hurried outside, under the bright artificial sunlight. Behind, he heard the dogs bang into the wall and scratch the ground to enlarge the opening.  
  
While he was running, he looked at the surroundings. He was in a destroyed industrial area again. It was hard to tell if it was the same as before the transfer or another one, though. But it didn’t matter. For the moment, he had to put some distance between those strange dogs and him.  
  
He was nervous. He didn’t understand anything. Why was he here ? Gantz couldn’t have decided to transfer him here ! Maybe… Maybe somebody had found a way to hack Gantz ? Yes, it couldn’t be otherwise. But who ? Those men controlling the spheres ? Or the aliens ?  
  
Panting and sweating, he took a break behind the remnants of a low wall. He tried to catch his breath, but it was hard. He was too scared. For the moment he could run, but he knew he would soon have another fit, and when it happened, he would surely die… His chest was already hurting so much…  
  
He let himself slide down the wall and sat on the ground, his arms around his knees. He had to calm down. He couldn’t have another fit, not now ! He took deep, slow breaths, and saw something from the corner of his eyes.  
  
“What the… ?” he exclaimed, getting up in a jolt.   
  
A small alien was crawling on the ground and escape as soon as it felt Kyo watching. Kyo frowned, puzzled. This thing was afraid of him ? He noticed another one flying next to him, a few meters away. It looked like a lizard with wings, the size of a pigeon. This one also fled as soon as Kyo saw it.  
  
Whatever they were, they didn’t seem dangerous for the moment. Kyo was actually glad that they had appeared because they had interrupted his fit. But the dogs had found a way to leave the hangar. He could hear their barks in the distance. If he didn’t hurry, they would find him again. He began running.  
  
Now that he had seen these small creatures, he noticed others following him, crawling on the ground or flying around him. They were discreet. Maybe they were following him since a long time, but he was too busy to notice them ? He could distinguish them from the corner of his eyes, but they disappeared every time he tried to look at them directly. Were they afraid ? Then why were they following him ?  
  
Maybe… Maybe these things were drawing the dogs toward him ? Maybe that was why they were following him and hiding ? He shivered in fear at the thought. He couldn’t take this risk. Raising his Z-gun, he quickly turned and fired at one of these small creatures. But it was agile enough to dodge and disappear from sight. He tried again, on another one, without more success.  
  
It wasn’t working… He had to take them by surprise. He stopped running and stayed still. He could see one of them flying in front of him, but it was too far. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted another one, crawling on the ground near him. Perfect. Slowly, very slowly, he enlarged the blade of his sword, and suddenly he cut the alien in halves.  
  
Instead of a cry, the creature emitted a crackling noise and sparks of electricity. What the hell ? So these things were not aliens but robots ? It kept getting stranger…  
  
Kneeling next to the robot-alien, he quickly examined it. Yes, it was definitely a robot. It had a metallic structure under a skin made of silicone or something like that. But it was obvious that this robot was not made to attack. This small part, in its head, it looked like a camera…  
  
Damn, that was why he had been transfer ! It was obvious now ! It was a game ! A death match between the gantzers and the aliens ! This place was an arena ! The robot-cameras had probably been around the gantzers from the beginning, but now he was alone, that was why they were so many to follow him ! Everything was clear now…  
  
He could try to destroy the other cameras, but he would lose too much time. The dogs were coming closer. He could see them now, still far away but running in his direction. Ignoring the other cameras, he began running again toward the skyscrapers.  
  
After a while, he heard explosions in the distance. What was happening ? The dogs were still after him, but the cameras were losing interest in him. He didn’t understand anything, but he had to take advantage of the situation.  
  
When he arrived at the fence, he climbed on the nearest building. The fence was still higher, but with the suit he might be able to jump over it. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the fence. Yes, he could do it. It was the only way. He took a run-up, feeling the suit inflate around his legs, and jumped.  
  
“Aaahh !” he yelled as he rose in the air. It worked ! He had jumped over the fence ! But he hadn’t thought about the fall ! He was falling from the height of a building ! Damn he was stupid ! Would the suit be able to resist such a fall ? If only he could fall in these trees below…  
  
He tried to fall in direction of the trees, but it was hard. If only the Gantz suit was a wingsuit, it would be easier… But there must be a way ! In a desperate attempt to stay alive, he extended the blade of his sword and drove it into the nearest tree, trying to slow down his fall.  
  
He landed heavily in the grass, breathless but alive ! The suit had protected him and was still working ! The trick with the sword had worked perfectly. He got up, trying to catch his breath, and rubbed his painful body. The sword was still stuck in the trunk of the tree. He took it back, thanking his lucky star, and also picked his Z-gun from the ground.  
  
After that, he took some time to look at the surroundings. He was in a park, with trees, grass, and a river. Behind him, the fence was standing behind a glass wall. On the other side, the dogs were barking, but they couldn’t reach him anymore. He was on the other side now. He had done it !  
  
He just hoped he would not be transferred inside the arena again… Maybe he would have time to escape before they realized he was not in the arena anymore and tried to transfer him ? He had to try.  
  
He ran in the direction opposite to the arena, not knowing where he was heading exactly, but he had to run somewhere. There were giants in the park. Not giants in armor like usual, but civilians. They really looked like humans… They were giants, but looked like humans, with a second pair of eyes and pointed ears. They dressed almost like humans too, and had parks, buildings, and flying cars. Maybe… Maybe they weren’t really different from humans…  
  
But it didn’t matter, he thought with anger. These aliens had invaded Earth, killing and capturing humans. They had put him in an arena to fight to death. Because of them, Tsuneo had been hurt. They deserved to die. He raised his Z-gun and began firing at the aliens, crushing them in the ground.  
  
“Ahaha serves you right, assholes !” he shouted, continuing to kill them. It was their turn now, to die helplessly !  
  
He ran out of the park, killing every giant he met, and arrived in a crowded street. He killed more of the aliens, but there was something strange. They were running, trying to escape something, and didn’t even pay attention to him. When he killed one of them, those around yelled but continued to run.  
  
Two giants in black armor attacked him, throwing saws in his direction. He jumped to dodge and used his Z-gun, but missed them. Instead, he killed more civilians. One of the soldiers kicked him with his foot, sending him fly against a wall. He quickly recovered and fired again, crushing the left part of the giant’s armor. The other fired saws at him, and he had to throw himself on the side to escape. Firmly grabbing his sword, he charged at the aliens and cut one of them from the bottom up. It was the best strategy, he thought. He was exposed to their feet, but at least they couldn’t fire saws at such a short distance. Dodging the foot of the second alien, who tried to crush him, he raised his blade and cut his legs. When he fell on the ground, he jumped and drove his sword in his head.  
  
Panting, he watched the corpses of the two soldiers. The fight sure had been hard, but only two soldiers ? Wasn’t it a weak response compared to all the aliens he had killed ? The civilians continued to run, ignoring him and the dead soldiers. What were they trying to escape ? He could still hear explosions in the distance, but couldn’t see what was causing them. Could it be possible that… humans were invading the spaceship ?  
  
He ran in that direction, hoping to find humans. But the spaceship was so huge ! And he was so small, in this giant city ! He ran for what seemed like hours, avoiding the legs of the aliens who were running in the opposite direction.  
  
It was hard running like that. His whole body was aching, he was panting and sweating, always on the verge of having another fit. The last fight had let him restless and tired. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to go toward the explosions…  
  
Finally he arrived at the seafront and he could see what caused all these explosions. Mechas exactly like Oka’s were fighting against the alien’s robots with the heads looking like hammers. The humans were invading the spaceship ! These mechas, they belonged to the gantzers, right ? Was it the group of men controlling the spheres who had launched this attack ?  
  
But they couldn’t win this war… The hammer-robots were too many ! He could see some mechas fall to the ground, defeated… He felt his hands beginning to shake again. If even the mechas couldn’t do anything, there was no hope… There was no hope. He tried to breathe deeply, but his breathing was short, jerky and painful. The last gantzers would die in these mechas, and then the humanity would be wiped out. His legs gave way and he was forced to sit on the ground.  
  
“Not now…” he moaned, tears filling his eyes. He had to find a way out of the spaceship… But what use would it be to escape, since they would all die anyway ? If only Tsuneo was here, he would know what to do… He would know how to give him hope. Tsuneo… Where was he now ? If he was still alive, he would die soon anyway…  
  
The more he panicked, the more the fit was unavoidable. He used his last moments of lucidity to hide under a giant trash can nearby. He sat there, his whole body shivering, and his mind became cloudy.  
  
He didn’t remember anything except the pain and the cold. He didn’t even know how much time had passed, but he felt a hand touch his shoulder.  
  
“Hey, are you ok ?” a woman’s voice asked, but he couldn’t understand what she said. He couldn’t even see her, through the tears and the clouds.  
  
“Again !” another voice, male this time, exclaimed. “How many of them do you want us to save again !”  
  
“Come on, they are fighting for us ! It’s the least we can do !”  
  
“But you forget that we’re injured and defenseless too ! Finding a way out of here is our priority !”  
  
“As if I could forget that ! My husband was killed in front of my eyes, you know ! That’s why I don’t want to let anyone else die !”  
  
“She’s right Ryoichi. These people are giving their lives for us !” another girl’s voice argued.  
  
“Tsk… Do what you want… I don’t care…”  
  
“Hey, do you hear me ?” the first woman’s voice gently asked Kyo, but he couldn’t answer. His brain couldn’t process the words. All of this looked like a strange foreign language to him. All he could do was chatter his teeth and cry. The girl sighed. “Kenta, can you carry her ?”  
  
He felt someone lift him in the air, but couldn’t understand why. That made him sick, like last time with the old guy.  
  
“Euuaaa…” he moaned weakly, felling dizzy.  
  
“Ouch ! I can’t hold her ! Help me !” a man’s voice said, very close to him.  
  
“Eh !” the woman’s voice said. “Stop struggling like that. We’re trying to help you. Help you, you understand ?”  
  
What the hell did all these people want ? Were they even people ? Not aliens ? Damn, he didn’t know, and feeling his body tossed around like that, it was awful… If only Tsuneo was there to help him… Why was he always absent when he needed him ? He was lost without him… And the pain, the pain… He couldn’t fight any longer… He felt his body fall limp in the arms of whoever was carrying him, and he slid into the clouds.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, blinking a few times because of the light, he realized that his arms were around the neck of a broad-shouldered man in his thirties, quite good-looking, with short chestnut hair. Blushing, he quickly removed his arms and tried to understand who this guy was.  
  
“Finally awake ?” the man asked with a smile.  
  
“W… What happened ? Who are you ?” he asked, his voice feeble. “Ca… Can you stop touching my butt ?” he added, as the man was taking advantage of the situation to have his right hand on Kyo’s bottom.  
  
“Oups, sorry…” the man said, moving his arms to carry him in a different way, but didn’t look sorry at all. And he was still holding him a little bit too close for his taste.  
  
“Let go of me…” he argued, but didn’t have the strength to struggle anymore.  
  
“You’re too weak to walk, and I don’t mind carrying you,” he said with a wink. What the hell... ?  
  
“I… I can walk…”  
  
“Really ? Then why are you so limp ?” the man replied. “Really, I don’t mind carrying you around, you’re light as a feather.” Kyo rolled his eyes. What had he done to deserve being saved by such an idiot…  
  
“Let me go or I’ll break your arms…” he said threateningly. But he must be in a worse state than he had thought, because it just made the man burst out laughing.  
  
“Eh, Mariko ! She’s awake !” he called.  
  
“She ?” he repeated with a grimace. Damn, why was everybody always thinking that he was a girl… ?  
  
“Alright ! Let’s take a break !” the woman at the head of the group announced. Kyo recognized the voice who had talked to him earlier. The group stopped walking and Mariko, as her name seemed to be, came to see them. She was a middle aged woman, a little chubby, with beautiful long dark hair. “Put her on the ground, please,” she said. The man obeyed and put Kyo on the grass.  
  
“It’s stupid, I can walk…” he argued weakly.  
  
“Uh-huh…” Mariko said and grabbed his wrist to take his pulse. “Hum… your pulse is quick…” She put a hand on his forehead. “You’re a little hot, maybe you have a slight fever. Are you hurt somewhere ?”  
  
“N… No… Are you a doctor ?”  
  
“A dentist…” she sighed. “I’m afraid it’s the best you can have for the moment.”  
  
“Where are we ? What happened ?” he asked, wiping the sweat from his face.  
  
“We’re inside the alien spaceship, and we found you earlier. You were having some kind of fit, so we took you with us. Kenta has carried you all this time,” she explained, pointing at the man next to them. “Now, let me examine you.”  
  
“It’s useless, I’m alright now,” he said. He tried to get up but felt dizzy.  
  
“Eh !” Kenta exclaimed, catching him before he fell.  
  
“Oh yes, you’re alright, I can see that…” Mariko said.  
  
“It… It’s nothing… Just a headache…” he whispered, a hand on his face. Kenta was holding him against his chest, a little bit too protectively. He had to tell him that he was a boy… But at the same time he needed the help...  
  
Now that he was on his own feet, standing almost on his own, he looked around at the other people, who were all looking at the three of them. The small group was made of a dozen of people. Among them were three children and an old woman, and two injured gantzers. A man was holding an X-shotgun, and Mariko also had one, probably taken from the injured gantzers. Kyo’s Z-gun was in the hands of a tall young man wearing a high school uniform.  
  
“Eh !” Kyo shouted. “Give it to me !”  
  
“No !” the young man replied. Kyo freed himself from Kenta’s arms and stumble toward the guy with the Z-gun.  
  
“It’s mine, give it,” he said, reaching his hand.  
  
“No way ! I found it, now it’s mine !”  
  
“You don’t even know how to use it !” he argued.  
  
“Yes I do !” the guy replied stubbornly.  
  
“No you don’t, lamebrain…” a girl with the same uniform said, rolling her eyes. “Give it to her, Ryoichi…”  
  
“No. Fighting is a man’s job. What will a little girl like her do with such a big gun ?” Ryiochi laughed. Kyo felt the blood burning in his veins. Not only was he a boy, but he was also older than this moron.  
  
“Even in my state, I could kick your ass !” he said, gritting his teeth.  
  
“Oh yea ? Do it then !”  
  
Kyo didn’t need to hear it twice. Ryoichi was at least two heads taller than him, but with the suit he easily threw him on the ground, face down, and put a foot on his bottom.  
  
“Owned by a girl !” he exclaimed with a half-smile, to humiliate him further.  
  
“Loser…” the high school girl sighed.  
  
“Stop being a child now and give her the gun…” Mariko said.  
  
“Tsk… Ok, ok…” Ryoichi surrendered, getting up with difficulties. He handed the Z-gun to Kyo. “Take it, I don’t care…”  
  
“Thanks…” he sighed. This little fight had helped him snap out of his fit. Now he was alright. And he felt safer with the Z-gun in his hand. “Now that that’s settle, can somebody tell me what the hell is going on ?”  
  
“Well…” Mariko, who seemed to be the leader, said hesitantly. “Actually we were counting on you to explain everything to us…”  
  
“Me ?” he exclaimed, surprised. Did he looked like he knew anything ?  
  
“Yes. You’re from the Self-Defense Forces, aren’t you ?” she asked.  
  
“The Self... No !” he replied. “It’s not that at all… These guys didn’t tell you anything ?” he added, pointing at the two injured gantzers. They were seriously injured and both their suits were broken. One of them was a man with a cloth tied around his head, damp with blood, and a vacant stare in his eyes. He seemed disoriented, and the girl in a high school uniform was leading him by the hand. The other gantzer was a girl, a gaijin with long blond hair. Both her legs were cut, and a man was carrying her on his back. Someone, probably Mariko, had made tourniquets around her legs. She was conscious, but seemed in pain.  
  
“No… The man is deaf, probably because of an explosion, and he’s in a state of shock. We couldn’t learn anything from him,” Mariko explained. “And the woman is a gaijin. She doesn’t speak Japanese very well, and what she says doesn’t make sense to us. She keeps talking about Rome and a group of men in black… Maybe it will make sense to you, since you’re from the same organization ?”  
  
Kyo nodded and went toward the girl gantzer. The man carrying her put her on the grass, and Kyo kneeled next to her.  
  
“Eh, what happened ? Where are you from ?” he said, not knowing what else to say. The girl looked at him from head to toe. Her face was white as a sheet and she was sweating heavily. She was in the same state than Tsuneo…  
  
“Qu’est-ce que tu m’veux toi ?” she said, pain in her voice. “Vous pouvez pas m’laisser crever tranquille non…”  
  
“What is she saying ? Is it German ? Damn, I don’t speak it…” Kyo sighed.  
  
“I think it’s French,” Mariko said.  
  
“French ? Bonjour,” he said to the girl, trying to engage the conversation. “Baguette, tour Eiffel ! Damn… Omelette du fromage ?” It only made the girl laugh, then cough in pain.  
  
“You speak French ?” Kenta asked, impressed.  
  
“No… I don’t even know what I’m saying…” he answered. “Eh ! Look, I’m from Gantz too. Gantz ! You understand ?”  
  
“Eh, mais t’as une combi aussi toi !” she exclaimed, noticing his suit. “T’es un mec ou une gonzesse ? Nan t’as une combi de mec… Ptin, la dégaine de meuf que tu t’tapes, j’te jure ! Trop drôle !”  
  
“I don’t understand what you’re saying… Tell me about Gantz ! What happened ?”  
  
“Gantz ouais… Ptin, tu vas pas m’lâcher la grappe hein ? Bon, pas le choix, j’vais devoir faire un effort…” She sighed. “I… I dead… Then I am in… in room with Gantz…”  
  
“When did you die ? You’re not from Tokyo, are you ?”  
  
“Tokyo ? Nan… I am French… I am in Kyoto for… for holyday… Ptin y a personne qui parle français ici ?”  
  
“What happened ? Why are you here ?” he continued to question her, trying to understand.  
  
“Mais arrête de gueuler comme ça ! J’ai mal à la tête… Gantz ! Transfère moi espèce de bâtard !” she cried. “J’veux pas mourir… J’comprend que dalle… D’abord Rome, et maintenant ça…”  
  
“Is it the guys in black ? Did they send you here ?” Kyo persisted.  
  
“Y… Yes. Men in black. They… transfer robots. It is last mission…”  
  
“And the exit ? Do you know where the exit is ? Exit, you understand ? How do we go out of here ?”  
  
“Qu’est-ce que j’en sais moi… J’ai une tête à savoir ça ?! No ! Don’t know ! Don’t know, tu comprends ça, espèce de tapette ? Va t’faire foutre ! Gantz ! Transfère moi putain ! Me laisse pas crever comme ça !”  
  
Kyo couldn’t understand what she was shouting, but he had understood the situation. The group of men controlling the sphere had probably found the spaceship weak spot, and had sent all the gantzers they could find in these mechas to fight to death. He hadn’t been transferred because his bomb had been removed earlier.  
  
“So, will you explain to us ?” Mariko asked. “What are you, if you aren’t from the Self-Defense Force ?”  
  
Kyo looked at the small group. All of them were injured, some more than others. They didn’t have weapons expect the two X-shotguns, one in Mariko’s hands, the other in Ryoichi’s hands. He must have taken it from the man who had it, after Kyo had taken his Z-gun back. Kyo couldn’t protect this group in his state. It was sad to say, but they would probably all die soon…  
  
He considered leaving on his own. After all, he would be more discreet alone. But he didn’t know either where the exit was. And he could have another fit at any time, it would be better if he wasn’t alone when it happened. But most of all, he couldn’t help thinking about Tsuneo. Tsuneo wasn’t as selfish as him. He would never abandon them. He would try to protect everyone. Kyo sighed.  
  
“Let’s just say that we’re alien hunters,” he began. “I can’t explain you why or how, but we’re the only ones who can fight against those guys.”  
  
“Alien hunters ?” Mariko asked, puzzled. “So, are you from the government ?”  
  
“No. I told you I can’t explain, but if you want to stay alive, you should stay with me.”  
  
“Bullshit !” Ryoichi exclaimed. “You’d be dead if we hadn’t taken you with us, and your two friends too ! We don’t need you !”  
  
“Well, I… I’m grateful for what you did,” Kyo hesitated. “But you can’t fight the aliens. I can do it. I can teach you how to use these guns, and protect you.”  
  
“Yea… As you were able to protect Tokyo, when they attacked…” Ryoichi replied, his voice full of scorn.  
  
“It’s hard to believe you,” Mariko said. “We had to manage things on our own since the beginning, nobody helped us.”  
  
“I’m not even from Tokyo, and I was fighting in another part of the spaceship,” he explained. “I don’t know how you got here, but the other people who got captured were killed in some kind of factories… I’ve joined the Tokyo Team to save them.”  
  
“The Tokyo Team ? But you were alone when we found you,” Mariko answered, frowning.  
  
“Yea, we got separated, somehow…” he sighed. “I know it’s hard to believe, but you have to trust me. I’ve already killed many of these aliens, I can protect you.”  
  
“Pfff… What rubbish…” Ryoichi said. “As if you could kill these things…”  
  
“Well, I believe you !” Kenta announced, putting an arm around Kyo’s shoulders.  
  
“It doesn’t matter if we believe you or not anyway,” Mariko said. “Since we are all searching for the exit, it’s better to stay together.”  
  
“Yes,” Kyo agreed, relieved.  
  
“Can you really teach us how to use these guns ?” she added, raising her shotgun.  
  
“Hum. You have to pull the two triggers at the same time. Be careful, there’s a delay between the moment you fire and the explosion. Try on this tree.”  
  
Mariko and Ryoichi pointed their shotguns at the tree, and pulled the two triggers. A few second after, the tree exploded, falling on the ground.  
  
“Wow !” someone said.  
  
“Awesome !” Ryoichi exclaimed.  
  
Then, he also explain them how to lock targets, though he doubted they would have to use this function against such big targets as the giants.  
  
“And your gun, what does it do ?” Kenta asked.  
  
Kyo smiled. He had never explained anything to the newcomers in the room, because Nobu and Kuwabara thought it was useless, but it was actually funny. He pointed his Z-gun at the fallen tree and fired, slamming it in the ground.  
  
“Amazing !” the others exclaimed.  
  
“Tu crois que c’est l’heure de t’amuser ?” the French gantzer shouted. “Fais nous plutôt sortir de là, si t’es si malin !”  
  
“If aliens attack us, you two fire at their feet while I deal with them,” Kyo said to Mariko and Ryoichi. Mariko nodded.  
  
“Good. Now we should get moving,” she announced, and the group began walking again.  
  
Kyo didn’t know if they were going in a random direction or if they had an idea as to where they were heading, but he didn’t have any other plan, so he followed the movement. Kenta was walking next to him.  
  
“An alien hunter, eh ?” he said. Kyo ignored him.  
  
“You’re impressive,” he continued. “Ryoichi is the tallest in the group, but you beat him so easily…” Kyo shrugged his shoulders but didn’t answer. “So, what’s your name ?”  
  
“Kyo…” he said.  
  
“That’s a pretty name,” Kenta smiled. “If we go out of this spaceship, maybe I could get you a drink ?”  
  
“You’re stupid…” Kyo sighed, annoyed. He wasn’t used to getting hit on by a straight guy.  
  
“Stupid ? But why ?”  
  
“I’m a boy, idiot…”  
  
“Sure, sure… And I’m the queen of England…” Kenta replied with a chuckle.  
  
“You don’t believe me ?” Kyo asked, raising an eyebrow. What the hell ? Was it his hair or something ? Maybe it had grown longer that he had thought…  
  
“Nope. I know you say that just to get rid of me.”  
  
“What the… ? No, it’s the truth !”  
  
“You said to Ryoichi ‘owned by a girl’,” Kenta reminded him, sure of himself.  
  
“It was just to humiliate him, since he thinks I’m a girl…” Kyo rolled his eyes. Damn, this guy sure was thickheaded. Usually, he would have pulled his pants down to prove that he really was a boy, but in his state he didn’t even have the strength to argue. “You know what ? Believe what you want, I don’t care…”  
  
For a while, they walked in silence. Kyo was sulking. But while they were walking, he couldn’t ignore Kenta’s gaze on his bottom. He was used to it and even worst, because of his former job, but in the current context, this war, and knowing that Kenta thought he was a girl, it made him uneasy. Especially because he didn’t have clothes anymore, except his hoodie. The suit was fitting very closely around his skin, it was almost as if he wasn’t wearing anything…   
  
“S… Stop it !” he exclaimed after a while.  
  
“What ?”  
  
“Staring at my butt !”  
  
“Sorry…” Kenta smiled, indicating once more that he wasn’t sorry at all.  
  
“Instead, why don’t you tell me what’s going on ?” he sighed.  
  
“What do you mean what’s going on ? You know it better than us.”  
  
“I mean who are you, how come you all are on the spaceship ?”  
  
“After the war in Tokyo, the TV worked again,” Kenta explained. “They said that the peace had been proclaimed. The aliens were inviting everyone to meet them aboard the spaceship. So we all went into these flying cages…” He blushed, knowing that it had been stupid. Kyo didn’t fell like laughing at them. Thousands of people had probably died because of this fake message…  
  
“How did you managed to escape ?” he asked. He didn’t see how they could have possibly escaped the killing factories. They weren’t even naked like the others.  
  
“Something strange happened. We were in the cage, and we saw these giant aliens waiting for us, in anti-contamination suits. But suddenly, their heads exploded ! After that, we found a way to the surface. A lot of us died, because of their soldiers, but we managed to escape. Mariko healed us and took the lead.”  
  
“T… Their heads exploded ?” Kyo repeated, incredulous. “What the hell ?”  
  
“Yea, nobody understood anything. But thanks to that, we’re still alive…”  
  
“Hum…” he nodded. Maybe the men controlling the spheres had found a way to transfer bombs in the heads of the aliens ? But then, why weren’t they all dead yet ?  
  
“So, you said you’re not from Tokyo, where are you from then ?” Kenta asked on a more cheerful tone.  
  
“I’m from Osaka.”  
  
“Ahaha, I knew it, you have the accent !” he laughed. “And what did you do in Osaka ? You’re a student ?”  
  
“I’d rather not talk about it…” he sighed.  
  
“Come on… Ok, I’ll tell you about me first, but then you tell me about you,” he decided. “I’m from Shibamata. I’m a salaryman, I work for a phone company. Pretty boring, uh ? But I also practice kendo on my free time.” He seemed proud of it. “It’s your turn now,” he added, seeing that Kyo didn’t answer.  
  
“Hum… How can I say… ? I use to work in… relationship marketing,” he finally said.  
  
“Oh, you’re a sales person, something like that ?”  
  
“Something like that…” he eluded.  
  
“And after the war ?” Kenta asked with a smile. “You’ll stay in Tokyo ? You know, I wouldn’t mind if you stay with me…”  
  
“Damn, you’re a pain in the ass, you know that ?” Kyo exclaimed, rolling his eyes but smiling in spite of himself.  
  
“Yea, I know, but soon you’ll fall for my charm, you’ll see.”  
  
“I don’t think so… I already have a boyfriend.”  
  
“Oh…” Kenta exclaimed, disappointed. “He’s a lucky guy…”  
  
“I don’t know…” Kyo said, shrugging his shoulders. “I think I’m the lucky one to have him.” Kenta thought for a second.  
  
“Is he… Is he still alive ?” he asked.  
  
Kyo fell silent. Was Tsuneo still alive ? After seeing Reika’s grave, he had thought that Tsuneo was still alive, but a long time had passed since then. Even if the others had found a way out of the spaceship, Tsuneo was in a bad state. He could have died on the way. And even if they were back in Tokyo, it would be hard to find a doctor because of the war… And since Gantz didn’t seem to be able to transfer anyone anymore…  
  
“I… I don’t know…” he admitted, feeling down. Kenta grabbed his wrist and they stopped.  
  
“If… If you need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here…” he said, looking worried. Kyo looked at his deep brown eyes. They were serious. Of course, Kyo wanted to cry. Tsuneo was probably dead, and he was lost in the enemy’s ship, sick and without any hope… But he knew that if he let the tears fill his eyes, he would have another fit…  
  
“I… I’ll think about it…” he answered, freeing his wrist. He put on his hood to hide his face and began walking again. Kenta followed him, worried, and they walked in silence.


	9. A long walk

Everything was giant in the spaceship. They were like insects, crawling on the ground. They were walking since hours, and didn’t seem to make any progress. Kyo was panting and walking with difficulty. All his muscles were aching. Every step forward brought more pain. Even with the suit, he was more tired than any of the other people in the group, even the man who was carrying the French gantzer. It was pathetic, he thought. How much time would these symptoms last ? It had been something like five days since the last time he shot himself up, not counting the time during which he was dead. He hoped that it would soon be over, or that he would soon find something to put in his blood, because the current situation was unbearable.  
  
With his hood, the other couldn’t see how sick he was, and he did his best to walk normally despite the pain. But his hands were shaking, and his Z-gun felt so heavy…  
  
“Ah ! Finally !” Mariko exclaimed, and the group came to a stop.  
  
They had arrived in front of some kind of train station. There was no alien here. It had been a while that they hadn’t seen any aliens. They must be too close from the war zone, all the civilians had fled, and the soldiers were fighting against the gantzers in the mechas.  
  
“You were searching for a train station ?” Kyo asked Kenta, trying not to chatter his teeth too much.  
  
“Yes, Mariko had this idea just before we found you. There may be a map of the spaceship here, maybe we’ll found the exit,” he explained. “A… Are you ok ?” he added. Now that they had stopped, he could face Kyo and see that he was pale and sweating.  
  
“A map, of course ! That’s clever,” he answered, ignoring the question. He didn’t want to look weak, even thought it was already too late for that.  
  
“Let’s see…” Mariko said, examining the map. “It seems that we’re here.”  
  
“Here ? No, I think we’re here,” Ryoichi disagreed, pointing at another point on the map.  
  
“Hum, yes, maybe…” she said. “So, if we’re here, that means we’re more or less in this part of the spaceship, right ?”  
  
“It’d be easier if we could read their language…” the high school girl sighed.  
  
“No kidding !” Ryoichi exclaimed. “Damn, this map is crap ! It’s just a subway map, it doesn’t shows the exit…”  
  
“It’s all we have…” Mariko sighed. “But you’re right, it doesn’t help us at all… I’m sorry to have given all of you false hopes…”  
  
“No, it was a good idea,” Kenta intervened. “It could have worked.”  
  
“Anyone has another idea ?” she asked.  
  
The group fell silent. They were all thinking, but couldn’t see what else to do. It had been their best idea until now, and it hadn’t worked. They were losing hope, Kyo could see it on their faces.  
  
“I have an idea,” he said after a while. All the faces turned toward him, curious. “But it’s dangerous.”  
  
“We listen to you, what’s your idea ?” Mariko asked.  
  
“It won’t please you. We have to attack the soldiers.”  
  
“What ?”  
  
“Are you crazy ?”  
  
“What the fuck ?”  
  
“It’s the only way !” he argued. “They must have a map in their armors ! If we find a soldier, I can kill him and search for a map.”  
  
“Are you dumb or what ? You’ll be killed, for sure !” Ryoichi exclaimed.  
  
“It’s too dangerous !” Kenta shouted.  
  
“You’ll put all the group in danger !” Mariko said wisely.  
  
“I know, but it’s the only way ! I want to get the hell out of here !” They were trapped in this spaceship, they had to take the risk ! Why didn’t they want to understand ? Kenta frowned and caught his wrist.  
  
“Look, your hands are shaking ! You’re in no state to fight…”  
  
“I’m ok !” he argued, sharply removing his arm from Kenta’s grip. He looked at the group, angry. He had been stupid to come with them. It had just been a waste of time… If they weren’t ready to fight, they could as well all die here. He didn’t care anyway.  
  
“Do you what you want. I’m going alone from now on. I’ll kill the aliens, find a map, and get out of this place,” he announced. With these words, he turned back and walked away.  
  
“Wait !” Kenta exclaimed, and caught his shoulder, but he shook his hand off.  
  
“I said I’m leaving ! Stay here if you want, but don’t complain if you die !” he shouted.  
  
He left without waiting for an answer. He knew his reaction was a little disproportionate, but he couldn’t help it. He had already wasted too much time with them, and if he didn’t hurry he would have another fit. He had to get out of the spaceship before it happened. He had to know if Tsuneo was still alive.  
  
“I’m coming with you !” Kenta called, catching up with him.  
  
“Why ?” he asked dryly. “If you want to dissuade me, you’re wasting your time !”  
  
“Ok ok, I understood !” he replied, annoyed. “But you’re an alien hunter, right ? If you say you can kill them, I trust you.”  
  
“R… Really ? Well… Thanks.” Kyo said, softening. Finally, someone recognized that he wasn’t weak and useless.  
  
“But you’re sure you can fight in this state ?” Kenta asked, worried. “Wouldn’t it be better to wait an hour, the time for you to calm down and…”  
  
“In an hour, maybe we’ll all be dead,” Kyo cut him. “I have to do it now. I can fight, my state’s not that bad.”  
  
He saw that Kenta was going to argue, but they were interrupted by Ryoichi, running behind them.  
  
“Eh ! I’m coming too !” he was shouting.  
  
“You ! What the hell ?!” From the beginning, Ryoichi had been opposed to him, why would he, of all people, come to help him ? Ryoichi reached them and stayed silent for a while, the time to catch his breath. Then he looked at Kyo with a half-smile.  
  
“As if I’d let a girl do all the fighting,” he said, tapping his X-shotgun.  
  
“Again…” Kyo facepalmed, desperate. He didn’t have the strength to argue. They were all stupid, he couldn’t argue against stupidity… At least Ryoichi had a weapon, he could be of help. “Alright, you can come, but please, please, shut your mouth…”  
  
Ryoichi made a grimace, but Kyo’s dark look convinced him to remain silent.  
  
“Where do you expect to find soldiers ?” Kenta asked.  
  
“Isn’t it obvious ? There.” He pointed the direction of the explosions, where the mechas were still fighting.  
  
Kenta and Ryoichi argued, but he ignored them and began walking again. If they were afraid, they could still turn back and leave him alone. He was determined to leave the spaceship and wouldn’t let anybody stop him.  
  
It wasn’t long until they reached the war zone. It seemed that the group had circled around it instead of going away from it. The sight was even more impressive than seeing Osaka in ruins. Here, everything was ten times bigger. The buildings, but also the fragments of concrete scattered everywhere, and the corpses lying on the ground, horribly mutilated. In the distance, they could see the mechas fighting against the robots, causing more explosions.  
  
They worked their way through the rubbles and corpses, and soon they found a group of two soldiers. They hid between fragments of wall nearby.  
  
“You… You really want to do it ?” Kenta asked, looking at the giants with fear.   
  
Kyo was looking at them too, sweating and trying to breathe deeply. Could he really do it in his state ? He had done it before, but he wasn’t as tired and strengthless as now… Was it really the only way ? He wasn’t even sure that the soldiers had a map in their armors…  
  
His hand was shaking around his Z-gun, but he didn’t have a choice. If he didn’t take this risk, he would never go out of this spaceship. He had to think about Tsuneo.  
  
“Yes,” he said, not as firmly as he intended. “It’s the only way. Ryoichi, you still want to help ?”  
  
Ryoichi looked at the aliens and gulped. His hands were shaking too around the shotgun.  
  
“O… Of course !” he exclaimed. Kyo looked at him in the eyes, serious.  
  
“It’s not a game. It’s a matter of life and death,” he said. “You will put your life on the line, you understand ?”  
  
“I… I know ! Damn, I’m not a kid !”  
  
“We need their armors in good condition, so I won’t use the Z-gun. I’ll only use my sword. As soon as I go in front of them, you’ll have to fire at their feet to make them fall. You can do it ? I don’t need a scared assistant !”  
  
“I’m not scared !” he argued. “Come on, I’m just a little stressed, not scared… I’ll do it, trust me !”  
  
“Ca… Can you really kill these things ?” Kenta asked, worried. “They’re huge…”  
  
“I told you I already killed a lot of them, it’s not a lie. But it’s dangerous anyway… Alright, can you hold this ?” he said, giving him the Z-gun. Kenta awkwardly took it. “Don’t use it, even if it looks like they’re getting the upper hand, you understand. We need their armors in good condition. And it’s a dangerous weapon, if you don’t know how to use it, you could even kill me.”  
  
“A… Alright…”  
  
“Ryoichi, if you do your job correctly, they should be quite easy to kill.”  
  
“Understood.”  
  
“Alright…” he sighed, and took his sword. His hands were shaking, and he felt the pain in his bones, but it was bearable. He could do it.  
  
“This thing is a sword ?” Kenta asked, surprised. “It’s just a hilt.”  
  
Kyo didn’t answer and just enlarged the blade to make it visible, making Kenta exclaim in surprise. He stretched his neck and shoulders, and took a deep breath. It wasn’t time to hesitate anymore.  
  
“I count to three… 1… 2… 3, let’s go !” he yelled, running toward the soldiers, followed by Ryoichi.  
  
The soldiers were surprised to see him arrive from the direction opposite to the war zone, but didn’t lose time. Raising their canons, they fired their circular saws at him. He jumped on the side to avoid them, and quickly recovered. With two of them, it would be difficult to avoid the saws. He had to reach their feet.  
  
He ran toward the feet of one soldier, raising his blade, but had to jump to avoid a saw. In the air, he waved his sword toward the giant, but he dodged it. The other giant tried to hit him with his canon, put he blocked with the blade. He was sent flying away, but was not hurt. As soon as he was on the ground, he had to throw himself on the side to avoid a saw.  
  
“Damn, what are you doing !” he shouted to Ryoichi. The high schooler was petrified, unable to do anything. “Fire, idiot !”  
  
He jumped to avoid another saw, and ran toward the giants. He could only count on himself, that wasn’t even surprising… Dodging a saw, he enlarged his blade and waved it, finally cutting a leg. The giant fell on the ground, but the other immediately fired saws at him. He avoided them and tried to cut the legs of this giant too. The other was shouting in pain. He sat up and tried to hit Kyo with his fist. In a broad movement, Kyo severed his arm. At this moment, the left foot of the other giant exploded.  
  
Finally, Ryoichi had decided to move. Yelling, he fired at the giant’s other foot. Kyo took advantage of the situation to quickly drive his sword in the chest of the giant who was already on the ground, quickly killing him. Then he jumped and did the same to the other. That way, the armors wouldn’t be too much damaged.  
  
He looked at the corpses of the two aliens, panting. He had done it ! But he felt dizzy now. Maybe he shouldn’t have fought in this state. He couldn’t catch his breath, and his body felt so heavy. He heard his sword fell on the ground, but didn’t remember dropping it. His sight was becoming blurry. Damn, not now... Around him, everything became black as he fell on the ground, unconscious.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
“…ear me ? Kyo ! Eh ! You hear me ?” a voice said, somewhere far away. Everything was still dark around him, he couldn’t see who was speaking.  
  
“Cold… c… cold…” he heard another voice say, but it seemed so distant. If only he could move. If only the pain could stop.  
  
Something heavy fell on his chest. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t open his eyes. Everything was like a dream. He heard voices around him, but couldn’t understand them. Time was acting strangely too. He could hear things move around him, but it felt really slow, and at the same time it was too fast to understand what was happening.  
  
Something warm spread next to him, and he clung to it. It felt good, to feel this warmth against his frozen body.  
  
“Tsu… neo…” someone moaned. The warmth eased the pain in his chest, but the pain in his head was excruciating. He felt a hand on his face.  
  
“My god, she’s burning !”  
  
Someone put something cold on his forehead, and he cringed, but after the first shock it felt good. At least his head was a little less painful, but the rest of his body still hurt like hell. He was so tired now. He just wanted the pain to stop. Without realizing it, he fell into a restless sleep.  
  
He was in Osaka, and Tsuneo was here too, but couldn’t see him. He was too far away, fighting against the Nurarihyon. Tsuneo couldn’t win against such a monster ! Kyo ran, raising his weapons. He had to save him ! But everything was giant, he was just an insect, and the dogs were hunting him. He could hear them bark behind his back. He was so small, and he was sick. His legs felt like they weighed two tons each. He would never reach Tsuneo at this rate ! The dogs were barking, coming closer and closer, and Tsuneo was still so far away, and the Nurarihyon opened his eyes. The light was burning everything. Tsuneo was on its way.  
  
“No !!” Kyo screamed, waking up with a start, short of breath. Everything was blurry around him. He didn’t know where he was or why, but he could feel arms around him, warm. He clung to them and cried, panicked.  
  
“Ma… Mariko !”  
  
“Calm down ! Kyo ! Listen !”  
  
“He… He’s dead…” he cried. “He’s dead…”  
  
“It was a nightmare ! Calm down !” Mariko exclaimed, trying to make him come to his sense. Kenta’s arms tightened around him.  
  
“Shh… It was just a bad dream…” he said, gently rocking him. Kyo began to understand. It had just been a nightmare… But he felt so real… No, it couldn’t be true. He was the one who had been killed by the Nurarihyon, not Tsuneo…  
  
He sobbed more silently, his lips trembling, and tried to understand what had happened. He was in Kenta’s arms, once more. So that was him, the warmth that he had felt next to him… He should probably push Kenta away, but he couldn’t stop crying, and he was so cold, so he clung to him in despair. Mariko put the wet cloth back on his forehead. It had fallen on the ground when he had woken up with a start. It was cold.v  
“Can you hear me ?” she said. Kyo had difficulties focusing his eyes on her face, but he nodded slightly, still sobbing.  
  
“Do you remember what happened ?” she continued.  
  
“N… No…” he whispered.  
  
“You fainted,” she explained. “You shouldn’t have fought in your state, it was madness !”  
  
Fight ? Oh yes, he remembered now. He had killed the two aliens, and then everything had turned black. Damn, he had really fainted ? It was worse every time…  
  
“W… Why are… you here ?” he managed to say. He thought she hadn’t wanted to follow him.  
  
“Ryoichi came running and explained everything to me. We came back as fast as we could. I… I’m sorry to have doubted you, you have really done it.”  
  
“Of… of course…” he sighed. He blinked a few time, trying to dissipate the clouds on his eyes. Around him, everybody was looking at him with worry. Even Ryoichi. He seemed shaken.  
  
“It’s my fault,” he complained. “If I had fired since the beginning, like you told me, it wouldn’t have happened…”  
  
Kyo couldn’t blame him for being scared. He had been even more scared during his first mission, and the aliens weren’t as powerful. Even if Ryoichi had acted since the beginning, he would have probably fainted anyway. His fits were worse every time, he should have known something like that would happen…  
  
But what mattered now was that the aliens were dead. He had to find a map of the spaceship in their armors. They had already lost too much time because of his fits. He tried to get up, but realized he was wrapped up in something.  
  
“What’s that ?” he asked, his voice feeble.  
  
“Ah… My jacket,” Kenta said. He put a hand on Kyo’s cheek and wiped a tear away with his thumb. “You kept saying that you were cold, so I put it on you. But you were still cold, so I took you in my arms.”  
  
“Oh… Well… T…Thanks, I guess…” he blushed. “Did… Did I say anything else while… while I was sleeping ?”  
  
“You were calling someone,” Mariko said. “Tsuneo. You kept repeating this name.”  
  
“He’s your boyfriend ?” Kenta asked.  
  
“Y… Yes. I had… a strange dream about him… Damn, I can’t remember it…” He tried to get up again, but was stopped by Mariko.  
  
“You can’t get up, you have fever !” she exclaimed.  
  
“But I have to… We need a map…” He pushed her hand away and got up hesitantly. Damn, his head was hurting so much, and every inch of his body too. It was awful. His legs were shaking so much that Kenta had to support him to help him stand.  
  
“My god, you’re stubborn…” Mariko sighed.  
  
“Yea…” he answered with a half-smile. He made a gesture to take off Kenta’s jacket, but they stopped him.  
  
“At least keep it…” Kenta said. “Be reasonable.”  
  
Be reasonable. Tsuneo had given him the same advice, after he had had his first fit… And he should have listened to him. Sighing, he agreed to keep the jacket. It was too big for him, he had to roll up the sleeves, but at least it was warm.  
  
The small group was hidden in the rubbles, not far from the two aliens’ corpses. They had found a broken pipe, and could drink for the first time since their arrival in the spaceship. Kyo drank too, it had been a long time since the last time in the room, and he had fought and run a lot. He also washed his sweaty face. That helped him feel a little bit better.  
  
He staggered toward the giants, helped by Kenta who caught him every time he tripped, and examined their armors. Mariko had joined them with her shotgun, while Ryoichi stayed with the group to protect them in case someone arrived.  
  
“So, what do you expect to find ?” Mariko asked.  
  
“If I guess right, their armors must be connected to a network,” he explained. “We can probably access to a map, or even better, some kind of GPS.”  
  
He had done a pretty good work, even in his state, he thought with pride. The aliens’ armors were not very damaged, and most of the lights in them were still working. What he was searching for must be in the helmets, were the giants could see it. But their heads were giant, and their helmets too. They were heavy. Kenta tried to remove the helmet of one of the soldiers, but he couldn’t make it move from one centimeter.  
  
With the suit, Kyo could probably do it, but in his state it looked like an insurmountable effort. If only the two other gantzers had working suit, they could help him, but their states were even worse than his.  
  
“Seems like I don’t have a choice…” he sighed.  
  
He stumbled toward the helmet and grabbed it. Taking a deep breath, he began pulling. Damn it was hard ! The suit was hissing, inflating around his muscles. He had to use all its strength. He knew the power of the suit depended on the user’s physical strength, and he wasn’t really strong, especially in his current state…  
  
“Raah ! Fuck it !” he shouted, forcing himself to keep pulling despite the pain. Little by little, he managed to pull the helmet from the giant’s head.  
  
“Stop ! It’s enough !” Kenta exclaimed when the helmet had been removed. Kyo let go of it with a ‘fuck !’ and fell on the ground, panting and sweating.  
  
“Are you ok ?” Mariko immediately ran to him.  
  
“No…” he moaned. “My head is spinning…” He closed his eyes, trying to come to his senses, but it was worse. He couldn’t move, it was too painful, and he had difficulties catching his breath.  
  
“Let’s go back to the pipe, you need some water,” she said.  
  
Once again, Kenta carried him, but he didn’t argue. All his limbs were limp and painful. If only it was Tsuneo carrying him, it would be less embarrassing…  
  
When they were back where the rest of the group was hiding, he was installed on the ground. Mariko took care of him for a while, making him drink and putting a wet cloth on his forehead again. After that, she left her side to take care of the French gantzer, whose legs were cut. The other gantzer only had minor wounds, but he still hadn’t recovered his hearing and was still shaken. He didn’t seem to understand what was happening around him, and just stayed there, sitting on the floor, a vacant stare in the eyes.  
  
Kyo didn’t want to stay here, doing nothing, but he was too tired to move. His head was pounding, he probably still have fever… Things would become even worse if he didn’t take time to rest. The whole group needed to rest too anyway, so he didn’t try to get up for the moment.  
  
“It’s strange, this war, don’t you think… ?” Kenta asked after a while, sitting next to him. His voice was melancholic. Kyo turned his head toward him, surprised.  
  
“What do you mean ? Of course it’s strange…”  
  
“I mean, look around us !” he gestured toward the destroyed buildings. “It looks like Tokyo, or any other city. And these aliens, they look like humans, don’t they ? Just… bigger.”  
  
“What’s your point ?” Kyo asked, skeptical. It didn’t matter that the aliens looked like humans, they were invaders.  
  
“These guys you have killed, maybe they had a family… A wife and children… Maybe… Maybe they’re victims too, maybe they just obey to the orders and don’t have a choice ?”  
  
“What the matter with you ?” Kyo answered, angry. “Are you trying to make me feel guilty for killing them ? That’s it ?! Do you know how many people they have killed ?”  
  
“T… That’s not what I meant… But they look so much like us !”  
  
“No, they don’t ! You didn’t see the killing factories ! All those dead people, hanging from the ceiling like pieces of ham…”  
  
“Re… Really ?”  
  
“And I’ll tell you what happened to me !” he shouted. “With my group, we were trying to save everybody, but we were transferred in an arena ! We had to fight to death against other aliens, just for their entertainment !” He stopped shouting, panting. Kenta was looking at him, puzzled. “T… They attacked us without any warning,” he added. “Did they let us a chance to surrender ? No ! So I don’t feel guilty for killing them…”  
  
His head was spinning. He shouldn’t have got angry like that. Apparently he was still subject to mood swings… Damn, when would it stop ?  
  
“I guess we’re… just animals to them…” Kenta sighed after a while. “Maybe they don’t realize… Maybe, if they realized, the peace would be possible…”  
  
Kyo didn’t answer. How could Kenta be so optimist ? He was like everybody else, he probably had lost some people he loved during this war, so why ? Or maybe it was just a way to carry on ? To find the energy to move and stay alive ? That was probably that. Kyo sighed. He wished he could be as optimist as Kenta, but really, he couldn’t see any hope…  
  
Mariko and a man were examining the giant’s helmet. Kyo decided to go help them. He had rested enough. The sooner they found something, the sooner they would get out of the spaceship. He got up with difficulties.  
  
“Are you ok ?” Kenta asked, hurrying to help him.  
  
“Yea…”  
  
“I can carry you, you know ?” he said with a crooked smile.  
  
“Do that and I break your arms…” Kyo sighed, rolling his eyes.  
  
“Ahaha, just joking, don’t be angry !” he laughed. “Now that I know what you can do now, with this suit of yours, I don’t really want to provoke you.”  
  
“I’m just going to help Mariko and this guy, you don’t have to follow me every time…” he said, annoyed that Kenta was going with him.  
  
“But you’re sick, what if you fall ?”  
  
“I’m ok now,” he lied. “Damn, I won’t fall, I’m not stupid…”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’m going too,” the high school girl announced, coming toward them.  
  
“Yukari ? Well… I guess it’s ok then…” Kenta said reluctantly.  
  
So the high school girl’s name was Yukari ? She was quite tall, taller than Kyo and almost as tall as Kenta, with long brown hair. She was wearing the same uniform as Ryoichi. She made a gesture with her head toward the injured gantzers.  
  
“Can you take care of the gaijin ?” she asked Kenta. “Her state is getting worse…”  
  
“Yes, I’ll see what I can do.”  
  
“Let’s go then,” Kyo announced. Kenta nodded and went toward the French gantzer, while Yukari went with him.  
  
“You now, I don’t need a baby sitter…” Kyo sighed. He knew she was only there to keep an eye on him, though he was grateful to be able to be with someone else than Kenta. Unfortunately, his announce was ruined when he tripped on a small fragment of concrete and fell flat on his face.  
  
Yukari smirked but didn’t comment. She held out her hand to help him get up.  
  
“You’re ok ? Be careful…”  
  
“Be careful, be careful… it’s easy to say…” Kyo grumbled, grabbing her hand. “You’re not the one who has to walk with legs of two tons…”  
  
“Yea, sorry,” she said with a chuckle. “Anyway, I’m not here to baby sit you. I just thought you’d be glad to escape Kenta for a moment.”  
  
“Yes, thanks. He’s a nice guy, but a bit clingy…” He began walking again, watching carefully where he was stepping. It was already embarrassing enough to fall once… But his head was still spinning, so he was walking slowly.  
  
“I’ve seen how he looks at you, when you’re not looking, it’s kinda creepy,” Yukari continued.  
  
“Oh, I’m used to it…” he sighed. “It’s just strange in the context.”  
  
“You know what’s worse ? Ryoichi’s also beginning to look at you like that…”  
  
“What ? Damn, really ? As if I need a second idiot on my back…”  
  
“You can’t really blame them. After all, you’re a badass alien killer,” she said. Kyo had a half-smile.  
  
“I don’t feel badass right now… I’m sick, I fainted, I have fever, and I can’t even walk straight, you saw it…”  
  
“Yea, but you killed two aliens anyway,” she answered. “I wish I was as strong as you… Then maybe Ryoichi would stop playing the macho.”  
  
“Ryoichi’s your boyfriend ?” he asked, feeling sorry for her. That must not be easy, going out with such an empty head.  
  
“Worse… My brother…” she replied with a grimace.  
  
“Oh, that sucks !” he chuckled. At least that explained why she was so tall.  
  
“You have no idea…” she said, rolling her eyes. “I live with this blockhead, and as if it wasn’t enough, we’re in the same class !”  
  
“That’s a nightmare !” he laughed. He felt sorry for her, because Ryoichi really seemed to be an idiot, but at the same time it was ironical. He wished he had normal problems like every teenagers, but when he was the same age as Yukari and Ryoichi, he was already a prostitute, and already a gantzer…  
  
“Anyway, after meeting you, I think he’ll change. I think he’ll learn to respect women.”  
  
“Oh god, not again…” he complained. He was lost in this hell, alone, sick, not knowing if Tsuneo was dead or alive, and to make things even worse, everybody thought he was a girl ! What had he done to deserve this ?! “For the last time, I’m not a girl !”  
  
“I know, I know !” Yukari replied on a defensive tone. “But what matters is that Ryoichi thinks you are.”  
  
“You… You know that I’m a boy ?” Kyo asked, shocked.  
  
“Yea, I’m not as dumb as them !” she declared. Kyo’s face lightened, and a huge grin appeared on his lips. Finally ! Someone who didn’t think he was a girl ! He was so happy right now, if Yukari was a boy, he could kiss her !  
  
“You’re the first one to believe me ! Even in my group, there was a guy who thought I was a girl !”  
  
“Guys are clueless anyway,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
“And Mariko ?”  
  
“I don’t know… Maybe because she’s old ? But you do look quite like a girl…”  
  
Kyo sighed but didn’t answer. It wasn’t his fault if he looked like a girl, he wasn’t doing anything for that. He always wore boy’s clothes anyway, so people couldn’t make the mistake, but now he didn’t have clothes anymore, except the suit, his hoodie, and Kenta’s jacket who was too big for him… Surely these people didn’t know the differences between the men and women Gantz suits, but it was still insulting… He didn’t know he looked this much like a girl…  
  
They were approaching the giants’ corpses, and Yukari ran toward one of them.  
  
“Wow ! They’re so huge ! You really killed them ?! Dang, too bad I missed the fight !”  
  
While she was examining and touching the giant’s face with a mix of disgust and amusement, Kyo stumbled toward Mariko. She was standing near the helmet, looking at the other man, who was completely inside the helmet.  
  
“How is it going ?” Kyo asked her. She started and turned to face him.  
  
“Oh Kyo, you startled me ! What are you doing here, you should be resting !” She put a hand on his sweaty forehead. “Hmm… You’re still a little hot. How do you feel ? Why Kenta isn’t with you ?”  
  
“I’m fine, I’m fine…” he sighed, pushing her hand away. “Don’t worry, I have another baby sitter…” He pointed at Yukari.  
  
“Hum… These creatures are dead, thanks to you, but now you should rest and let us work. Don’t push yourself too hard in your state.”  
  
“Yea, yea, I’m sick, I know, but we’re still in the middle of a war…” he grumbled. Mariko sighed, but he ignored her and leaned over the edge of the helmet. A man in his thirties was fiddling with the electronic components of the helmets.   
  
“Hey ! Did you find anything ?” Kyo asked. The man wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked at him.  
  
“Not yet, but I will. Trust me, I’m an engineer,” he smiled.  
  
“Can I help ?”  
  
“You know how this thing works ?”  
  
“No… But you know, I may not look like it, but I’m pretty skilled in computer science.”  
“Really ? Well, then, I could do with some help.”  
  
Kyo smiled and went into the helmet too. They worked for a long moment. It was hard, especially in his state, but at least he could finally focus on something else than the pain. For a while, he was able to forget that was sick, and enjoy himself.  
  
It took a long time, since they didn’t understand the alien’s language, but they kept groping and finally they were able to show a map of the spaceship, with their current location.  
  
“Mariko ! We found it !” Kyo called.  
  
“Really ? Awesome !” she replied, running in the helmet. “Let’s see…”  
  
“I think this is one of the spaceship’s ‘leg’,” the engineer said. “We can probably go out by there.”  
  
“Hmm… Yes, you’re probably right.”  
  
“It doesn’t look so far, but everything is so big here, it’ll take hours…” Kyo complained.  
  
“We don’t have a choice anyway, it looks like the nearest exit,” Mariko observed.  
  
Fortunately, the engineer always had a small notebook with a pen in his pocket. He carefully noted the itinerary. When it was done, Yukari and them went back where the group was resting.  
  
“So, did you find anything ?” Ryoichi asked, looking them arrive. Kyo noticed that he was particularly looking at him and blushing. Damn, so Yukari was right… He sighed and looked away.  
  
“Yes ! Thanks to our wonderful engineer Hideki and our amazing alien hunter Kyo, we found a map leading to the exit of this spaceship !” Mariko announced.  
  
“Wouhou ! Hurrah !” the people of the group exclaimed. This announcement made everyone regain hope. In a few hours, they would be out, and all of this would be a bad memory.  
  
Except the two injured gantzers, who didn’t realize what was happening, everyone was feeling better. They drank one last time from the broken pipe, and set off.  
  
Kyo wished he had time to rest a little. The aliens’ corpses weren’t far from the group’s hiding place, but the short round trip and the work in the helmet had tired him more than it should. His head was spinning and his legs felt weak. Now that the work in the helmet was over, he could feel the pain in all his body again. But he was also in a hurry to leave the spaceship. It was the only way to know if Tsuneo was still alive, so he didn’t argue and follow the movement. Kenta noticed how weak he was and offered his arm to help him walk. Cursing himself, Kyo accepted. He didn’t have a choice, if he wanted to keep with the pace of the group.  
  
It was a dangerous walk, and a long way to the exit of the spaceship. They were so small compared to everything. It was even longer since they were travelling hidden in the rubbles, for more safety. That way, they could avoid the soldiers patrolling in the streets or running toward the war zone, were the mechas were still fighting. But it was also harder for Kyo to walk. In his state, he kept stumbling over the rubbles every time. Fortunately, Kenta was here to steady him. He was also still carrying the Z-gun.  
  
“You know, I could get used to it,” Kenta said after Kyo tripped once more.  
  
“What ?”  
  
“You holding my arm,” he smiled.  
  
“Eh ? What the hell… You know that I don’t have a choice, don’t take advantage of the situation !” he argued, but his voice was weaker than he intended.  
  
In other circumstances, we would have immediately let go of Kenta’s arm, but he knew he couldn’t walk without help. He was getting tired of Kenta’s incessant remarks, maybe he could ask someone else to help him ? But who ? Yukari would be ideal, but she was already taking care of the deaf gantzer, who tripped on the rubbles as often as him. Mariko was busy too, as the leader of the group. And the engineer, Hideki, he was carrying the French gantzer on his back. The others were all injured, except Ryoichi. But Kyo didn’t think it was a good idea to ask him for help…  
  
Thinking about Ryoichi, wasn’t it him coming toward them ?  
  
“Hey !” he called as he approached. “Mariko wants to know if you’re ok.” Kyo noticed that he was looking at his hand on Kenta’s arm with a frown.  
  
“Do I look like I’m ok ?” he replied sharply but weakly. “Why didn’t she come herself ?”  
  
“I don’t know,” he shrugged his shoulders. “I… I needed to talk to you anyway.”  
  
“I’d rather not…” he sighed. One idiot was already enough.  
  
But Ryoichi was intently looking at Kenta, frowning. Kenta was staring at him too, above Kyo’s head, a dark look in the eyes.  
  
“Can I talk to her alone ?” Ryoichi asked coldly.  
  
“If I let go of her, she falls…”  
  
“Don’t worry, I can hold her just as well.” Saying that, he grabbed Kyo’s free arm and pulled him.  
  
“Eh !” he cried, losing balance. He didn’t fall though, since they both held one of his arms.  
  
“Stop that, you’re hurting her !” Kenta exclaimed.  
  
“It’s because you didn’t let go of her, moron !”  
  
“She doesn’t want to talk to you ! Can’t blame her, after you almost let her die during the fight…”  
  
“What ? You’re calling me a coward ?! Should I remind you that you were hiding while we were risking our lives ?!”  
  
“She told me not to do anything and I obeyed, not like you ! Besides, I carried her and helped her from the beginning, while you didn’t even want to save her ! Now get lost, jerk !”  
  
“Say that again, fucker !”  
  
“Stop !” Kyo shouted with all the strength he could gather. “Shut up, both of you ! Let go of me ! Damn, I’m not a toy !”  
  
“But…” Kenta began.  
  
“I said let go of me, now !”   
  
Reluctantly, they both released his arms.  
  
“You !” Kyo continued, throwing a dark look at Kenta. “Leave me alone, and go tell Mariko that I’m ok !”  
  
“I won’t let you alone with someone of his kind.”  
  
“Do it !”  
  
Sighing, Kenta obeyed. Ryoichi watched him leave with a smirk.  
  
“And you !” Kyo shouted, turning toward him. “You think it’s smart to piss me off while I’m sick ?! Damn, my head is spinning now…”  
  
He put a shivering hand on his face. He shouldn’t have got mad like this, it was only making things worse. He could feel the blood rush in his temples with a rumbling sound and the pain intensify in his chest.  
  
“A… Are you ok ?” Ryoichi asked.  
  
“Shut up… With all your bullshit, we’re far behind the group now… Let’s go.”  
  
He made a step forward, but his legs gave way and he fell. Ryoichi caught him before his knees touched the ground.  
  
“K… Kyo ! What’s going on ?”  
  
“Don’t touch me !” he argued weakly, freeing himself from Ryoichi’s grip. But he was forced to grab his arm to walk. “Tsuneo… if only you were here…” he sighed.  
  
For a while, they walked in silence, Kyo trying to come to his senses and Ryoichi helping him walk. He was too intimidated to talk, after Kyo’s fit of anger, and didn’t want to be sent away like Kenta.  
  
They were behind the group now, and had to walk quite fast to catch up with them. It was hard for Kyo. He wanted to sit on the ground and stay there, alone, but he had to carry on. It was the only way to know what had happened to Tsuneo.  
  
“So, why did you want to talk to me ?” he asked after a while, when he was calmed enough.  
“Well, I… just wanted to apologize…” Ryoichi answered with a blush. “Kenta’s right, because of me you almost died… But I was petrified ! These guys were so huge… I… I’m sorry…”  
  
He looked sincere. Kyo sighed. There was no point in getting angry again.  
  
“I’d have killed them anyway, with or without your help.”  
  
“But… How can you kill them so easily ? They’re frightening !”  
  
“I’m used to it. I was scared too, the first time…” he said. So scared that he had to take drugs to carry on, he thought with shame.  
  
“You’re really something, aren’t you ? I… I misjudged you, I’m sorry… I thought you’d be a dead weight for the group, but I couldn’t be more wrong…”  
  
“You were thinking about the safety of the group, I can’t really blame you,” he sighed. “In fact, I’d have probably done the same…”  
  
“R… Really ?”  
  
“Yea… Tsuneo’s the altruistic one, not me…”  
  
“Who ?”  
  
But before Kyo could answer, they heard exclamations coming for the main group.  
  
“What’s happening ?” Kyo asked, frowning.  
  
“I don’t know, let’s hurry.”  
  
Kyo cursed. He hoped it wasn’t an alien, because he was in no state to fight. Kenta still had his Z-gun anyway. They caught up with the group as fast as they could, Ryoichi almost dragging Kyo.  
  
“What the hell… ?” Kyo whispered as they arrived. In front of the group, all the buildings were in ruins, and a huge black structure, taller than the surrounding buildings, was lying on the ground, in the middle of the rubbles.  
  
“Kyo !” Mariko called. “Come here !”  
  
He joined her, helped by Ryoichi. Kenta was next to Mariko, staring at Ryoichi with hostility.  
  
“This thing, it’s one of the devices your organization uses, right ?” she asked.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Kyo examined the black object.  
  
“Y… You’re right, it’s a mecha !” he exclaimed. “Amazing… I’ve never seen one from so close before...”  
  
“To think that the aliens could defeat something like that… It’s frightening…” Kenta said.  
  
“Their robots look pretty powerful too,” Ryoichi stated.  
  
“It’s broken now anyway,” Mariko said, touching the black material. “Too bad, we can’t do anything with it.”  
  
“Wait !” Kyo exclaimed. “Sometimes, I saw Oka pilot one of these mechas. If I remember well…”  
  
“What ?”  
  
“I’ll need help. We have to go on top of this thing.”  
  
The mecha was huge, even lying on its back. They went to its arm, which was slightly lower than its body. Ryoichi, the tallest from the group, climbed on it. Then, Kenta gave the Z-gun to Mariko and gave Kyo a leg-up. Ryoichi grabbed his hand and pulled him on the mecha. Finally, Kenta managed to climb too.  
  
“We’re going to the head,” Kyo told Mariko, who was still on the ground. “Wait for us there.”  
  
The three of them walked along the mecha’s arm and climbed on its chest. With the suit, Kyo could have easily jumped on the mecha, but in his state it was more like a mountain to climb. He hoped that at least, he wasn’t doing that for nothing.  
  
But as they finally climbed on the mecha’s head, a grin appeared on Kyo’s lips.  
  
“Yes ! It’s still here !” he exclaimed happily.  
  
“What ? I think this guy is dead…” Ryoichi replied, confused.  
  
Indeed, in the open space that acted like a cockpit, a gantzer in an advanced suit was still sitting at the controls, but he was dead. A thick black fluid was running from the caps of his suit, and a piece of his head was missing, revealing his bloody and damaged brain.  
  
“Ew… That’s disgusting…” Kenta complained.  
  
“Disgusting or not, can you remove him from here, please ?” Kyo asked.  
  
“Eh ? There’s no way I touch him ! He’s dead ! Do it Ryoichi !”  
  
“Why me ?! I don’t want either !”  
  
Kyo sighed. If only he wasn’t sick, he would do it himself, but after the climb, all his limbs were heavy and painful.  
  
“Guys, please… He’s too heavy for me, and you’re strong, aren’t you ? Can you be nice and do it for me ?” he asked with his most charming voice, tilting his head and looking at them with puppy eyes. It made both of them blush.  
  
“Su… Sure ! I’ll do it !” Kenta announced, his cheeks flushed. He turned awkwardly and went toward the gantzer’s corpse.  
  
“E… Eh ! Wait, I’m doing it too !” Ryoichi exclaimed and followed him.  
  
Kyo smirked. Finally there were some advantages to being mistaken for a girl. It was almost too easy, with these two idiots.  
  
The advanced suit was heavy, even broken, and it took the both of them to remove the gantzer from his seat. They laid him on the side without ceremony, relieved to finally put him down.  
  
“Phew, that was hard ! It deserves a kiss, don’t you think ?” Kenta asked Kyo with a half-smile. Ryoichi punched him in the arm.  
  
“You’re dreaming, old geezer !” he exclaimed.  
  
“I… I mean, on the cheek !”  
  
“Oh… Yea, on the cheek ! I want one too !”  
  
“You ? You barely did anything ! I would have done it even quicker if you weren’t in my way !”  
  
“Don’t listen to this lamebrain, Kyo ! I carried almost all the weight alone, you saw it !”  
  
Kyo rolled his eyes and installed himself on the seat where the dead gantzer was a moment ago. He heaved a sigh of relief. Finally he got to sit ! It felt so good ! His whole body was painful, but at least he didn’t have to support his own weight anymore.  
  
“W… What are you planning to do ?” Kenta asked. “You can make this mecha move ?”  
  
“Nope, it’s broken. I don’t have the right suit anyway.”  
  
“Then why did you make us climb all the way here ?”  
  
“This thing I’m sitting on, I can make it move,” he said, tapping the circular structure.  
  
“And what is it ?” Ryoichi asked. Kyo smiled.  
  
“This, my friends, is a flying bike !” he announced, delighted.  
  
“What ?”  
  
“A flying bike ?”  
  
“You know how to drive it ?”  
  
“Hum… Well, I’ve never tried, but it looks like the regular bike…”  
  
“You should let me do it,” Kenta said. “I used to have a bike when I was younger.”  
  
“No way !” he cried. “It… It only works with the suit !”  
  
It was a lie of course, but he was too happy to finally be able to drive a bike again, he wouldn’t give up his seat for anything.  Kenta looked disappointed, but he didn’t care. Thrilled, he started the bike and made it float a meter over the floor. Good, it worked. It seemed easy.  
  
“Wow ! It really flies !” Ryoichi exclaimed.  
  
“Amazing ! Now we can go back on the ground easily !”  
  
“Wait here for a minute,” Kyo said. Smiling, he turned the throttle and the bike went out in the air at full speed.  
  
It worked, he was flying ! This bike was amazing ! He rose even higher in the air, laughing madly. It had been a long time since he had felt this good ! He wouldn’t have to walk anymore and he could finally get rid of the two idiots ! What’s more, he was able to drive a flying bike ! There was nothing more badass than a flying bike !  
  
For a while, he flew freely in the sky, forgetting about the pain in his body and the war surrounding him. For a moment, he was just happy. He wished Tsuneo could see that, or even better, fly with him. If he wasn’t dead – and of course he wasn’t dead, that was unthinkable - they would fly together someday.  
  
He wanted to fly forever, but he had to be reasonable. Still laughing, he went back to the mecha.  
  
“Ahaha ! You saw that ? I was flying ! It’s awesome !” he exclaimed, his eyes shining.  
  
“Yea, that was spectacular ! Now, how do we get out of here ?” Kenta replied.  
  
“Hum… The bike is made for one person only…” he said.  
  
“What ? You mean we have to go back on the ground by foot, while you can fly ? That’s unfair !” Ryoichi cried.  
  
“Well, there’s another way,” Kyo began with a smirk. “You have to sit on my lap.”  
  
“Eh ?! N… No way !” he blushed. “There’s no way I sit on a girl’s lap !”  
  
“Really ? I guess you’ll have to walk then…” Kyo said, chuckling.  
  
“If it’s the only way, I’ll do it !” Kenta declared, though it made him uneasy too.  
  
He went toward Kyo but hesitated, not knowing how to do.  
  
“Come on, little girl, climb on my lap !” Kyo said, patting his legs.  
  
“Y… You’re sure ?  That’s ridiculous, I’m too heavy for you…”  
  
“Don’t worry, with the suit, you’ll be light as a feather !”  
  
“You’ll really do it Kenta ? Don’t you have any pride ?!” Ryoichi shouted.  
  
“Are you stupid ? We’re in a war, pride doesn’t matter !”  
  
“He’s right ! You’re the one who’ll look stupid, Ryoichi, going down by foot !”  
  
Kenta got on Kyo’s lap, feeling shameful. It was even more awkward considering that he was a head taller than Kyo and twice as big.  
  
“Oh god, I can’t believe it…” he whispered, hiding his face in his hands.  
  
“You sure you don’t want to come too ?” Kyo asked Ryoichi with a laugh. He was having a lot of fun right now. Now, they were in the girl’s position, it was his revenge.  
  
“Yea, I’d rather go down by foot, with my pride, than doing that !”  
  
“Too bad ! See you down there, moron !” he exclaimed, and turned the throttle.  
  
“Waaah !” Kenta yelled, surprised, and clung to Kyo’s neck, as the bike rose in the air, fast as a bullet.  
  
“Ahaha ! Let’s do a loop !” Kyo laughed, perfectly at ease.  
  
“No !!” he screamed, but Kyo ignored him. Pulling the handlebars, he made the front of the bike rise higher. “Arghh !” The whole bike rolled over, upside down, and finally return to its normal position.  
  
“Woohoo !” Kyo shouted, laughing. “I didn’t even know it was possible !”  
  
“You’re crazy !” Kenta cried, tears of fear rolling from his eyes. “Go back on the ground !”  
  
“Already ? Come on, you’re not fun !” he argued, but went toward the ground anyway.  
  
Mariko and the others watched them land, astounded. As soon as they were on the ground, Kenta jumped from the bike and leaned against the mecha, trying to catch his breath.  
  
“What’s that ?!” Mariko exclaimed, looking at the bike with awe.  
  
“A flying bike. They’re used to pilot the mechas, but they can be removed,” Kyo explained.  
  
“Where’s my brother ?” Yukari asked, surprised to see only Kyo and Kenta.  
  
“Up there. He’s too ‘proud’ to sit on my lap, so he’s going down on foot.”  
  
“He’ll kill himself ! Go get him !” she exclaimed, looking up where Ryoichi was.  
  
“Alright, alright.”  
  
Kyo took off and quickly joined Ryoichi.  
  
“Come here, it’s dangerous,” he said, trying to be gentle.  
  
“No ! As a man I have my pride, you can’t understand that !”  
  
“Pride ? Yea, right, you’re just afraid that I’ll do a loop, like with Kenta !”  
  
“Shut up ! I’m not afraid !” he argued, offended.  
  
“Then come with me ! Your sister is worrying…” he sighed. Ryoichi thought about it for a while.  
  
“Fine ! I come ! But no loop, ok ?”  
  
“Sure, sure, let’s go.”  
  
Ryoichi reluctantly climbed on Kyo’s lap, cursing, and they went back on the ground without doing a loop.  
  
“Ryoichi !” Yukari called, running toward him.  
  
“I’m ok, don’t worry, my lovely little sister,” he said, extending his arms to hug her. But instead of running in his arms, she hit him on the head. “Ouch ! Was what that for !?”  
  
“You could have died, dumbass !” she shouted.  
  
“What will you do with a flying bike ?” Mariko asked.  
  
“I’ll fly above your heads and scout the surroundings. That way I can warn you if there’s a danger.”  
  
“Hum… Will you be ok ? You’re sick, you remember ?” she said. That made Kyo chuckle.  
  
“Yes, don’t worry. If I don’t have to walk, I’ll be ok. I feel good when I’m on a bike.”  
  
“Ok… Still, don’t fly too high.”  
  
Kyo nodded. He got his Z-gun back and took off. He flew more calmly this time. Fooling around like that had tired him, and he didn’t want to be forced to abandon his bike.  
  
Mariko was leading the group through the streets, according to the itinerary they had found in the alien’s helmet. Kyo was flying above them, vigilant. Twice, he told them to take another way because of soldiers patrolling the streets.  
  
After an hour of walk, they arrived in a crowded area. The civilian aliens who had fled the warzone were gathered here. Some of them were panicking, others were injured. A few soldiers were trying to organize them, in vain.  
  
From the sky, they looked like humans. Humans torn apart by the war. Victims, dying without being able to do anything. Kyo felt his heart hurt. Maybe Kenta was right… Maybe these aliens didn’t want the war either, and were victims too… No, he couldn’t feel pity for them ! This war was their fault ! Humanity was just trying to defend itself !  
  
Mariko and the others had to walk discreetly, in back alleys, hiding behind everything they could find. Kyo was flying lower, circling around them to make sure that no one could see them. He was ready to kill any alien who came too close with his Z-gun, even children. With all these aliens around, they couldn’t take any risk.  
  
They continued walking like that, until the street became less crowded with refugees. Finally, they found it. The entrance of the spaceship leg, their way out of here. Strangely, there were only two guards here.  
  
“What the hell… ? I thought it’d be heavily guarded,” Kyo told Mariko.  
  
“It’s strange… Maybe all the other soldiers are fighting ?”  
  
“Anyway, they’re the last obstacle between us and the freedom. We must go out of the spaceship,” Kenta stated.  
  
“Hum... I’ll kill them, it’s the only choice,” Kyo said.  
  
“Let me help you !” Ryoichi exclaimed, raising his shotgun. “I promise I won’t disappoint you this time !”  
  
“No, we’re too close from our goal to take any risk. With the bike and the Z-gun, I’ll easily kill them before they even notice me.”  
  
“Alright. It’s a good thing you found this bike,” Mariko said. “Be careful, we’re waiting here.”  
  
Kyo acted quickly. He flew discreetly above the giants’ head and crushed them with the Z-gun, several times to prevent them from going out of their armor. He didn’t take any pleasure in it. It wasn’t a fight. It was a murder. But it had to be done.  
  
After that, the group went toward the exit. It was just a ramp descending toward a maze of corridors. It didn’t look like a city anymore, but really like a spaceship. The walls were made of metal, with pipes running along them, and lights and security messages.  
  
There were a lot of workers in the corridors, wearing orange anti-contamination suits. Kyo didn’t have a choice but to kill every one of them on their way.  
  
Soon, they arrived in front of a huge hole, or more like an elevator shaft, but without an elevator.  
  
“That’s it, the exit,” Kyo said. They all nodded. Even if they didn’t understand the messages written everywhere, it couldn’t be anything else. All the corridors were leading here.  
  
“And now ?” Kenta asked. “How do we go down there ?”  
  
“Damn, I can’t believe it ! We’re trapped after all ?” Ryoichi exclaimed.  
  
“There must be a way !” Mariko said. “We can’t have made all the way here for nothing !”  
  
“Eh ! I have an idea !” Hideki, the engineer, called. All the heads turned toward him, in hope. “Remember how we got here ? They transported us in giant flying cages. Maybe we could use them.”  
  
“Yes, of course !” Mariko exclaimed, her face lightening.  
  
“Hideki, you’re a genius !”  
  
They went away from the shaft, searching for the flying cages. It wasn’t long until they found some of them, in a sort of hangar, since it was in this place that the captive humans arrived.  
  
“Good, we found them. But they aren’t flying…” Mariko noticed.  
  
“Kyo, if you help me like last time, I think we can make one of these things work,” Hideki said.  
  
“Alright.”  
  
He got off the bike and examined the cage with Hideki. The bottom was the cage itself, with wire fenced walls and a wall which could be open to form a ramp. The engine and all the systems were on top of the cage. Kenta gave them a leg-up, and they climbed on the cage.  
  
For some time, they fiddled with the electronic components, and were finally able to turn the cage on. The engine was running, and the cage was floating a few centimeters from the ground. But now, the problem was to be able to pilot it.  
  
There was no cockpit, and they couldn’t read the alien’s language. They continued trying for a while, but finally had to give up. They couldn’t make the cage move forward, or in any other direction. It was just floating in the same place.  
  
“Your bike flies,” Hideki said. “Maybe we could fasten it to the cage with something, and you’d just have to tow the cage.”  
  
That was a good idea. They could certainly find chains in a place like that. With Kenta’s help, Kyo got down from the cage. Then they began searching for chains in the hangar. They found some in a corner, with tools, metal plates and engine parts. The chains were heavy, but with the suit and the help of Kenta and Ryoichi, they were able to fasten the cage to the bike.  
  
“Let’s hope that it’ll work…” Hideki sighed.  
  
“I’ll do a test flight, just to be sure,” Kyo said.  
  
He got on the bike, turned it on, and slowly tried to take off. The chains were drawn tight, and finally the cage moved, floating behind the bike. Kyo circled around the room and tried to fly higher, to see if the cage could follow the bike further from the ground. Everything seemed to work perfectly.  
  
“Alright everyone ! Go in the cage !” Mariko shouted. “We’re leaving this place !”  
  
“Yay ! Finally !” people cried.  
  
“I hope my family is still alive…”  
  
“Eh bah c’est pas trop tôt !” the French gantzer exclaimed. “Un peu plus et je crevais !”  
  
Everyone got into the cage with a lot of noise.  
  
“Kyo, we count on you,” Mariko said, before going in the cage too.  
  
Kyo closed the door, and got on his bike. They would finally be out of this hell. In just a moment, they would be back on Earth. Tsuneo was somewhere outside, waiting for him, he was sure of that.  
  
“Let’s go !”  
  
He turned the throttle, and the bike rushed into the shaft, followed by the cage.


	10. The end of the war

The leg of the spaceship was tall, several hundreds of meters tall, and Kyo tried not to go to fast, because of the people in the cage. At the end of the shaft, he could see the daylight.  
  
When they got out of the spaceship, they were still flying in the air.  
  
“What the… ?” Kyo exclaimed, blinking because of the light.  
  
“What does it mean !”  
  
“We’re in the sky ?” the people in the cage wondered.  
  
Kyo glanced up at the spaceship. All its engines were working, and it was going back in space. The aliens were leaving Earth ? What could it mean ? They were already far over Tokyo, and it was cold. Shivering, he clung to Kenta’s jacket and directed the bike toward the ground.  
  
As they descended, the temperature became more bearable, and they could see that the sky was turning blue again. People watched them going down, curious. Kyo slowed down the bike, to make the cage land softly.  
  
As soon as they were on the ground, he went to open the door of the cage, releasing its occupants. They went out with cheers and cries of joy.  
  
“We did it !”  
  
“Woo ! Hurrah !”  
  
“We’re alive !”  
  
“Everyone’s ok ?” he asked.  
  
Around them, the people were looking, wondering who they were and what was going on.  
  
“It’s thanks to you Kyo ! Thank you so much !” Mariko exclaimed, crying. Kenta and some others joined her to thank Kyo.  
  
“No... If you hadn’t saved me, I’d still be in the ship too…”  
  
“Eh ! These people !” someone in the crowd around them shouted, pointing at Kyo and the injured gantzers. “These people, they’re the terrorists !”  
  
“Oh my god, you’re right !” someone else cried.  
  
“The terrorists ?”  
  
“Someone, call the police !”  
  
“Damn, they still believe this message ?” Kyo sighed.  
  
“They’re not terrorists !” Yukari shouted. “They saved us !”  
  
“That’s true ! These people were giving their lives for us in the spaceship !”  
  
“This person saved us ! They’re not terrorists ! They’re heroes !” Kenta shouted.  
“What are you saying ?”  
  
“They saved you ?”  
  
Little by little, they convinced the crowd that Kyo and the other gantzers weren’t terrorists, and soon they were greeted as heroes.  
  
Helped by some people in the crowd, Mariko transported the two injured gantzers and the other members of the group who were wounded to a makeshift hospital. She asked Kyo to come too, since he was sick, but he refused. Ryoichi and Yukari left too, searching for their family, and soon Kyo was alone with Kenta.  
  
“What will you do know ?” Kenta asked.  
  
“Search for my boyfriend, if he’s still alive…” he sighed.  
  
“Hum… I’ll stay with you until you find him.”  
  
“Why ? Don’t you have a family somewhere ?”  
  
“Not in Tokyo. They live in Hakodate, in Hokkaido. I hope the war spared them, but I can’t go for the moment, I don’t think the trains are running right now…”  
  
“I see… Well, stay if you want, I don’t care. But I don’t even know where to search. Damn, I don’t even know where we are, I’m not from Tokyo !”  
  
“It’s Harajuku, isn’t it ? So even a place like that can look dead and gloomy…”  
  
“Harajuku… Is it far from the Tokyo Tower ?” Kyo asked, remembering that the Tokyo Tower could be seen from the Gantz room.  
  
“The Tokyo Tower ? You think it’s the right time to go sightseeing ?”   
  
Kyo sighed but didn’t have time to answer. Around them, the crowd began shouting and running toward a big screen on a building. An image suddenly appeared instead of the snow. It was a man in his early thirties, with short brown hair, glasses, and a stubble. He was wearing a white shirt with a tie, but seemed worn out.  
  
“People of Japan, can you see me ?” he said.  
  
“What’s happening ?”  
  
“Who’s that guy ?” people wondered.  
  
“Up until now, the TV broadcasts have been propaganda ! It was all fake !” the man continued. “Images created by the aliens themselves ! My name is Seiichi Kikuchi, and from now on I’ll bring you the truth, from real human beings. This is the real deal !”  
  
The camera moved from his face, revealing the surroundings. Around him, a lot of gantzers were gathered, as well as some naked aliens, putting their hands behind their heads in a submissive attitude. Kikuchi’s extended his arm, showing the scene.  
  
“Humankind has thwarted the alien invasion !” he announced. “Our victory is at hand !”  
  
“What ?”  
  
“The… the war is over ?”  
  
“Eh, these people in black, they’re your friends, aren’t they ?” Kenta asked.  
  
“These guys, who are they…” Kyo whispered, looking at the gantzers. “Americans ? They… They’ve done it ?”  
  
“The fighters in black suits are not terrorists !” Kikuchi explained. “They’re humanity’s last and greatest hope ! These men and women are heroes ! And very soon, we will defeat the aliens once and for all !”  
  
Kyo felt all the heads turn toward him, the people whispering things.  
  
“Now everyone knows you’re a hero,” Kenta smiled.  
  
“As if I cared…” he sighed. “Let’s continue watching, maybe Tsuneo is with them ?”  
  
For a while, Kikuchi explained how the gantzers, mostly Americans but also teams from everywhere in the world, had invaded the alien’s mothership. Kyo watched with attention, to see if one of the gantzers was from his team, but he could only see gaijins and strangers.  
  
“This person says that we will be transferred to a special room,” Kikuchi said, pointing at a man sitting next to a black sphere. “We may not be able to film everything, but whatever happens, stay with us.”  
  
As soon as he said that, he began being transferred, his head disappearing little by little. Suddenly, the image disappeared, and the screen was covered with snow again.  
  
“W… What happened ! Have you seen that ? That guy disappeared !” Kenta exclaimed, shocked.  
  
“Yea, he was transferred. It always surprising the first time,” Kyo chuckled. “You’ve seen this black sphere ? It can transfer people, that’s how I got in the spaceship.”  
  
“Y… You mean, it can teleport people ? Amazing…”  
  
Kyo wasn’t sure about that. He didn’t think that Gantz could teleport people. He had his theory, involving the destruction of the body and the creation of an entirely new one each time they were transferred, but he wasn’t going to debate about it with Kenta anyway.  
  
“Damn, it doesn’t look like they can film anymore… Maybe… Maybe it was a trap ?” He began to worry.  
  
“Your boyfriend was among them ?” Kenta asked.  
  
“I… I don’t know, I didn’t see him…”  
  
Tsuneo… Where could he be now… Was he even still alive ? If he wasn’t dead, he was either back on Earth, or in the mothership.  
  
Maybe he was somewhere in Tokyo. If the team had found a way to exit the spaceship, they had probably gone back to the room. But where was it ? He had no clue, apart from the fact that the Tokyo Tower could be seen from the window…  
  
Kyo felt the pain in his chest increase. Tsuneo could be anywhere. He could be dead. Wounded as he was, it would be logical… What to do ? How to be sure ? He couldn’t do anything. He could get on his bike and search for him from the sky, but his legs refused to move. He would never find him like that anyway.  
  
“Don’t worry, you’ll find him,” Kenta said gently, putting his arms around Kyo’s shoulders to calm him. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.”  
  
Kyo didn’t answer. Kenta’s optimism couldn’t reach him. He couldn’t move away, he couldn’t say anything, he couldn’t even cry. He just stayed there, his throat knotted with worry. This day had been too long. He hadn’t slept since a long time, the fights and his constant fits had exhausted him, and now that he was back on Earth, he still didn’t know what had happened to Tsuneo. He tried to take a deep breath but could only pant, the air feeling cold in his lungs. He knew he was about to have another fit.  
  
“That’s not good, you’re getting sick again…” Kenta sighed. “Sit on this wall while I try to find water and something to eat. You need to recover your strengths…”  
  
Kyo did as told without protesting, and Kenta went away. He looked at his hands. They were shaking again, he couldn’t keep them sill. Damn, he needed to calm down. For the moment, he didn’t know if Tsuneo was dead or alive, so there was no point in panicking. But how could he fight against the cold invading his body ? For a while, he tried to breathe slowly and to empty his mind. If he thought about Tsuneo, it would get worse.  
  
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly, Kikuchi reappeared on the screen.  
  
“People of Japan, this is a truly historical moment !” he shouted. “In a very short moment, Humanity will claim victory !”  
  
Behind him, someone was fighting against an alien. Kyo got up in a jolt, forgetting the pain and focusing on the screen.  
  
Kikuchi and the gantzers were in an alien building. There were also foreigner journalists filming the scene. One of the gantzers was fighting in a duel against one of the alien, in the center of the room.  
  
“The people in black suits are a specially assembled alien-fighting task force,” Kikuchi explained. He pointed at a group of aliens standing in the back of the room. “This is all that remains of the aliens’ forces ! Look at the center of the group, could it be their supreme leader ?”  
  
In the back of the group, an old and bald alien with a monocle had a sad expression. He was surrounded by a few alien soldiers, all bare chested and holding elbow blades.  
  
The camera went back on the man fighting an alien, and Kikuchi explained that he was a member of an American team. This guy was a beast, the giant couldn’t do anything ! It was a game for him, he didn’t even use the guns, just two swords. Even like that, the aliens didn’t have a chance.  
  
He killed several giants before Kenta came back, with a small bottle of water.  
  
“That’s the only thing I could find... Eh, what’s going on ?”  
  
“The Americans are fighting against the aliens while the others are being transferred.”  
  
“Wow… Unbelievable…”  
  
“Thanks for the water,” he said, taking the bottle from Kenta’s hand.  
  
“Ah yes, the water… You feel better ? At least you’re standing…”  
  
Kyo drank half the bottle. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was. Then he put the bottle on his forehead and sighed. The cold felt good.  
  
“While this American man is fighting, others are transferred back on Earth,” Kikuchi said. “These people, these heroes, they deserve a triumphant welcome.”  
  
As he said that, the camera turned toward the line waiting in front of the sphere to be transferred. Kyo’s eyes widened in shock.  
  
“Tsuneo !” he yelled. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “He’s alive ! He… He’ll come back !”  
  
“Your boyfriend ? He’s one of them ?”  
  
“Yes !” He felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched the screen.  
  
Tsuneo was alive and well ! That was wonderful ! In just a moment, they would be together. Kyo’s heart was beating wildly. He couldn’t believe it, it was too good to be true ! He had been right to fight and escape the spaceship. He had been right not to give up, because Tsuneo wasn’t dead after all !  
  
Yamasaki was there too. So she had survived too ? That was good news. Most of the team was still there too. Of course, Reika was missing, but also that neat guy with glasses, whose name Kyo remembered to be Makoto, and Kei. Were they dead too ? But Kei was the leader, what could have killed him ? And why weren’t they buried with Reika ? It didn’t matter, as long as Tsuneo was alive.  
  
“These people, it’s with them that I arrived on the spaceship,” he told Kenta. “Our leader seemed to have died however…”  
  
“Ah, that’s the Tokyo Team you were talking about when we found you ?” Kenta asked.  
  
“Uh-huh. Actually, they’re not all from Tokyo. My boyfriend and a girl are from Osaka, we were in the same team before coming in Tokyo. The leader and another girl who’s dead, as well as two of these guys, are from Tokyo. And the others… I don’t really know.”  
  
“Your team has suffered casualties, I’m sorry…”  
  
“Tsuneo is alive, it’s all that matters.”  
  
“Which one is he ?” Kenta asked. “The tall one with long hair ?”  
  
“No ! He’s the one with glasses !” he said, pointing at Tsuneo on the screen.  
  
“Eh !? This guy ? He’s your boyfriend ?” Kenta exclaimed, shocked. “I thought someone like you would have a handsome boyfriend…”  
  
“Shut up ! He’s handsome enough for me, and he’s a hero ! Maybe more than the others, and definitely more than me !”  
  
“Ok, ok ! Well, he’s alive.” Kenta didn’t particularly look pleased, but Kyo didn’t even notice. He was too focused on the screen, clinging to the image of Tsuneo before the camera turned back on the fight.  In a short moment, they would be together, finally ! He couldn't believe it.  
  
The American man killed another alien. The next giant approached. He had long blond hair. Kyo remembered him from the attack in the spaceship, when they were transferred against their will by the men controlling the sphere. So this alien was still alive ? He must be really tough then…  
  
Indeed, in the blink of an eye, the American was dead. Others gantzers were coming at him, but he killed them with a disconcerting ease…  
  
“Oh no… Tsuneo, hurry up and be transferred…” Kyo whispered, gritting his teeth. If this alien killed all his opponents, nothing would stop him from killing the other gantzers…  
  
“This single giant is putting up quite a fight against the American Team !” Kikuchi exclaimed in his microphone. “Who can he be ? He’s so fast my eyes can’t even follow him ! It seems the American Team has given up fighting in duel against him and has decided to take him on all at once !”  
  
All the remaining Americans attacked him, going for his legs, jumping on his head, with swords and shotgun, but they all died.  
  
Kikuchi was speechless. All the cameras were pointed at this blond alien. The people watching the screen were holding their breath, too shocked to say anything.  
  
“Kuro… no…” the alien said. “Kei… Kurono… Where are you ? Come and face me, Kei Kurono…”  
  
“What the hell…” Kyo whispered.  
  
“Th… This alien… He speaks Japanese ?!” Kenta exclaimed. “How is it possible ?”  
  
“Come here, Kurono Kei. Fight me and die,” the giant continued. “I will confirm your vocal pattern and transfer you here. Speak your name at once, Kurono Kei !”  
  
“Kei… Impossible…”  
  
“Who’s this Kurono Kei ?” Kenta asked, confused. Around them, people were repeating the name, wondering who it was and what was going on.  
  
“He’s… the leader of the Tokyo Team, but he’s dead !” Kyo replied, frowning. “Why wouldn’t he be with the others if he wasn’t dead ?”  
  
“Maybe he got separated from the group, just like you ?”  
  
That was a possibility, Kyo thought. But if that was the case, why hadn’t Kei been transferred at the same time as him, in the hangar with the dog-like aliens ?  
  
“Try to hide, and I will kill all the humans here. I will kill them until Kurono Kei arrives,” the alien announced. “We are defeated. Our only option now is a suicide attack with the mothership.”  
  
“What is he saying ? A suicide attack ?” Kikuchi shouted, as confused as everyone. “It seems like this announcement doesn’t please the aliens’ supreme leader. They’re arguing ! Oh no !! The alien beheaded his leader !”  
  
“At this rate, it seems that Kurono Kei is not coming. Or perhaps he came and I killed him already ?” the alien said calmly. “I will use the mothership in a suicide attack, causing it to fall on Earth.”  
  
Everyone in the crowd was going crazy, yelling Kei’s name. Kyo was puzzled. He didn’t know what to think. Why was this alien interested in Kei Kurono ? And the other gantzers, why didn’t they try to kill him all at once again ? Humanity couldn’t be annihilated like that !  
  
On the screen, Kei appeared in front of the alien.  
  
“K… Kei…” Kyo whispered. “He wasn’t dead after all…”  
  
“It’s over ! We’re all die !” people were crying. “There’s no way a human can kill this guy !”  
  
“Kyo ! He was your leader right ?! You think he can do it ?” Kenta shouted, on the verge of tears.  
  
“I… I don’t know ! I never really saw him fight…”  
  
People were panicking. Some of them were jumping from buildings, committing suicide before the mothership could kill them.  
  
On the screen, Kei ran toward the giant. But he had to throw himself on the side to avoid one of the alien’s feet. The alien tried to crush him again, and he rolled on the floor.  
  
“Oh no ! The giant’s too fast for him !” Kikuchi exclaimed. “Kei Kurono’s being cornered ! Oh no, will he be able to escape ?! Things don’t look good for him !”  
  
Kei ran, and managed to grab a sword. Turning down, he waved his sword toward the alien, making him jump.  
  
“Kei Kurono got sword !” Kikuchu shouted.  
  
The alien was visibly stronger, but surprisingly, Kei was still alive. He had managed to avoid all the giant’s movements, and waved his sword every time he could find an opening. The giant seemed to be able to dodge everything. Kei only managed to cut a piece of his suit.  
  
“He’ll never make it !”  
  
“We’re all gonna die !”  
  
But Kei avoided the giant’s feet once more and immediately raised his sword. The alien tried to dodge, but the blade had made a cut on his face.  
  
“Wahh ! Kurono ! Kurono !” the people were acclaiming, regaining hope.  
  
“You can do it ! Kurono !”  
  
Kei was fighting with all his might. They both were hitting and dodging, so fast that they were blurry. After a while, he managed to make another cut, in the giant’s arm.  
  
“I can’t believe it ! Kei Kurono is getting the upper hand !” Kikuchi exclaimed.  
  
Kei enlarged his sword and raised it over his head. Screaming, he hit the alien. But he dodged, and it only cut his hair. Without letting Kei time to recover, the giant kicked him with his foot, sending him fly away.  
  
“Nooo !!” people cried. “Kurono !!”  
  
Kei fall on the ground, several meters away. He tried to get on his feet, but the alien was faster. He raised his leg, and prepared to crush Kei like an insect.  
  
At this moment, Ryuuji ran toward the alien and punched his leg, saving Kei.  
  
“Ryuuji… ?” Kyo whispered, surprised.  
  
“He’s from your team too ?”  
  
“Y… Yea.”  
  
Ryuuji dodge a punch from the alien, and hit his arm. The giant quickly recovered, and hit him with one of his blade. Ryuuji’s chest opened, blood spraying everywhere, and he fell on the ground.  
  
Immediately, Kaiji raised one of his swords and made a cut in the giant’s back. The others attacked too, Hyoma, Toshio, and…  
  
“No !! Tsuneo !” Kyo yelled, the tears running from his eyes. “What the hell are you doing ! Gantz, transfer me there !!”  
  
“Calm down ! They will make it ! They will kill him !” Kenta shouted, holding him back.  
  
“You don’t understand ! I have to save him ! Tsuneo !” he cried. “Gantz ! Damn, Gantz ! Transfer me !”  
  
It was useless. Kaiji was the first one to die, cut in half by the alien. Tsuneo was the second, his throat cut open. He fell on the ground, dropping his shotgun, a pool of blood forming around him.  
  
Kyo gasped, and his eyes widened in shock as he fell on his knees. Tsuneo was dead. Everything was over. Nothing had importance anymore. Humanity could be wiped out, he didn’t care. Now he could die too, it didn’t matter anymore.  He stopped fighting. The lack of air turned his vision black and he let the cold and the pain invade him.  
  
Kyo had been rejected by his family, he had been exploited by yakuza and had died in the general indifference. For years he had killed aliens, relying on drugs to be able to carry on. Tsuneo had been the only light in his life, the only glimmer of hope, and he was gone…   
  
He was vaguely aware that someone was talking to him, but he couldn’t understand anything. He didn’t want to understand anything. He just wanted to drown in the pain.  
  
Around him, people were crying and shouting. That was it then. Humanity had lost, and they would all die. Fine, that way he would soon join Tsuneo. Maybe all was for the better, finally.  
  
“Kyo ! Kyo, calm down !” someone was shouting. It was probably Kenta. Damn, this moron would bother him until the end…  
  
“Sh… Shut your… fucking mouth…” he stuttered, trying to focus his eyes on Kenta through the clouds. “L… Let me die…”  
  
“You don’t understand ! You can’t die now !”  
  
Kyo felt the blood boil in his veins, and he gritted his teeth in anger. All he wanted was to join Tsuneo ! There was nothing else holding him back in this world anymore !  
  
“Why !? Why don’t you let me die !”  
  
“We’ve won the war, it’s over !”  
  
“I don’t care !”  
  
“Wait, you don’t understand ! They’re back ! Your boyfriend’s back !”  
  
The words resonated in his head, but he couldn’t process them. Back ? What did it mean ? Was it some kind of sick joke ?  
  
“What are you saying ?”  
  
“Your boyfriend’s alive ! Look !” Kenta explained, pointing at the screen.  
  
Kyo raised his eyes, unbelieving.  
  
“We are back in Tokyo !” Kikuchi shouted in his microphone. “The heroes are alive ! We’re back in Tokyo, and humanity has won the war ! People of Tokyo, come in Omotesando to welcome the heroes !”  
  
“A… Alive ?” Kyo whispered, trying to focus on Kikuchi despite the tears in his eyes. It… It couldn’t be… Tsuneo was dead, he had seen him die ! And Gantz couldn’t revive people anymore ! Or could he ?  
  
“Omotesando ! It’s not far from here, let’s go !” Kenta decided.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
“W… What the… ?” Tsuneo said, opening his eyes. “I’m alive ?”  
  
“Where are we ?”  
  
“We’re back in Tokyo ?”  
  
“I don’t understand !”  
  
Tsuneo looked around him. Ryuuji was there, and Kaiji, Toshio and Hyoma. There was this journalist too, Kikuchi. Around them, a crowd was cheering and acclaiming.  
  
“We’re back in Tokyo !” Kikuchi shouted in his microphone. “The heroes are alive ! We’re back in Tokyo, and humanity has won the war ! People of Tokyo, come in Omotesando to welcome the heroes !”  
  
“What happened ?” Tsuneo asked, confused.  
  
“Did… Did we die ?” Kaiji asked.  
  
“Yes, but the Americans could revive you,” Hyoma explained. “The war is over ! Kei killed the giant !”  
  
“R… Really ? The war is over…” Tsuneo whispered.  
  
So he had died ? He hadn’t felt anything. He was firing at the alien with his shotgun, and the moment after he was here. It was so strange… Kyo must have felt the same way when he had been revived. Kyo… They would never be together anymore… He felt the tears coming to his eyes. With the war, he didn’t have much time to be sad, but now…   
  
“Where are the others ? Kato and Kei ?” Ryuuji asked.  
  
“I don’t know… They were supposed to be transferred just after me,” Hyoma said, frowning. “Did something happened to them ?”  
  
“And Yamasaki ?” Tsuneo asked.  
  
“Ah, she had been transferred in Osaka.”  
  
Tsuneo sighed with relief. At least she was alive. And she was in Osaka, she could be with her son. She could take care of Chie too. Now that the war was over, he should also go back to Osaka as soon as possible.  
  
Kikuchi was urging people to come in Omotesando to welcome the heroes. Were they heroes ? After all, they had died… But maybe their sacrifice had allowed Kei to recover enough to kill the giant ? Around them, people were crying and thanking the gantzers.  
  
“Thank you so much !!”  
  
“You’re heroes !”  
  
“Hurrah !”  
  
“Tsuneo !”  
  
This voice ! Could it be possible ? Tsuneo turned toward the voice, and his eyes widened. Kyo ! It was Kyo ! Kyo was forcing his way through the crowd and coming toward him. Kyo was alive ! How was it possible ?  
  
“K… Kyo !” he exclaimed, feeling the tears rolling down his cheeks.  
  
They ran toward each other, and Kyo jumped in Tsuneo’s arms. They spun like in the movies, both crying tears of joy. It was really Kyo ! He was alive ! He couldn’t believe his eyes ! He brought their lips together, in a passionate kiss. He didn’t care about the crowd watching them. He didn’t even care about the cameras, broadcasting this image in all the country. All that mattered was Kyo’s warm and soft lips against his.  
  
“You’re alive !” Tsuneo cried, breaking the kiss. He couldn’t believe it. He ran a hand in Kyo’s hair, then on his cheek, wiping a tear away with his fingers. It was really Kyo ! Around them, people were cheering, but he didn’t care. “I… I thought you were dead !”  
  
“I thought you were dead too !” Kyo answered through his tears. “Don’t scare me like that ! W… What happened ? When I woke up everyone was gone ! I was alone and… and sick, and I didn’t know if you were still alive…”  
  
For a while, they hugged and sobbed, not paying attention at the other people. Kikuchi was filming everything, knowing that owning the images of the heroes’ reunion could bring in a lot of money.  
  
Kenta gave a slight cough, and Kyo and Tsuneo turned toward him.  
  
“Well, I’ll leave you alone now, Kyo,” he said. “I’m glad you were able to find your boyfriend.”  
  
With a sad smile, he turned away and prepared to left.  
  
“Wait !” Kyo exclaimed, catching his arm. “You forget your jacket.” He took it off and handed it to his owner.  
  
“Oh, you can keep it.”  
  
“I won’t need it anymore,” he smiled. Now that he was with Tsuneo, he was sure that he would never have another fit.  
  
“As you want,” Kenta shrugged his shoulders and took his jacket back.  
  
“And… Thanks for everything,” Kyo said. He hesistated for a second, and hugged him. Standing on tiptoe, he kissed him on the cheek.  
  
“I… I guess it’s farewell, then…” he blushed, awkwardly patting Kyo’s back. Kyo nodded and released him. Kenta looked at Tsuneo.  
  
“Take good care of her, she’s an incredible girl,” he said.  
  
“Yes !” Tsuneo agreed. “Wait, what ?” But Kenta was already leaving.  
  
“Hum, yea, he thinks I’m a girl…”  
  
“Really ? Why didn’t you told him the truth ?”  
  
“Oh, I tried but…” he sighed and smiled. “It’s a long story… But we’re together now, and the war is over. I’ll have plenty of time to tell you everything.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
One year after the war, the country was still in ruins. The rebuilding was going slowly but surely. Of course, the gantzers had a role in the rebuilding, as members of the temporary government. Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato in particular were given high responsibilities, but most of the Tokyo Team was participating, as well as other gantzers from everywhere in Japan.  
  
Deprived of their mothership and their leaders, the remaining alien spaceships had no choice but to come back on Earth. The spaceship which was in Tokyo landed in the see, in the Tokyo Bay. The aliens now wished to live in peace with the humans. They had never wanted the war. The soldiers had been ruling for decades, and the population never had a choice.  
  
Kei had had an idea. Using Gantz’s last resources, he managed to revive Fra Rarada, the young alien woman who had helped him in the spaceship. To do that, he had used the same alien software that Fra had used to find Tae in the spaceship. With the help of Kyo, who was skilled with computers, they extracted the data concerning Fra from Kei’s memory, and Kyo hacked Gantz to transfer the data in its memory. Fra Rarada now acted as a liaison officer between the humans and the aliens.  
  
A lot of people had died during the war, and for weeks, the dead were counted, identified when it was possible, and buried in common graves. But a lot of people had died in the spaceship, or were too mutilated to be identified.  
  
Tsuneo’s family was dead. Their corpses had never been found, or couldn’t be identified. It was a difficult period for him, but he had gained a new family. After the war, a lot of children had become orphans, and the temporary government had made a law to facilitate adoption. Tsuneo had adopted Chie. He was officially his father, though she continued to call him ‘nii-san’ and he acted more as a big brother to her.  
  
Tsuneo, Chie, and Kyo lived in a luxurious hotel in Tokyo. Their positions in the temporary government prevented them from going back in Osaka. Since a lot of buildings had been destroyed, several families had to live together. The gantzers, though they were given accommodations in luxurious hotels, had to obey this rule too. As a consequence, the young couple and their child lived in the same suite as Anzu, Masaru, Jun and Ayumu. Together, they formed a big family. Kei and Tae lived in another hotel, but they often came spend the evening with them.  
  
The salary of politicians had been drastically cut in order to allow more budget for the rebuilding, but their incomes were still more than decent. However, Tsuneo didn’t want to work as a politician all his life. As soon as a new government would be elected, he wished to go to University. Kyo didn’t have any interest in politics either. He had kept the flying bike, and was working on it to develop his own technology. He was saving as much money as he could to create his company someday. He had kept his promise and had offered Tsuneo a ride in the sky. Tsuneo didn’t really like it though, so on Sundays, Kyo brought Chie with him on the bike. It was funnier with her, because she didn’t have fear of heights.  
  
Kikuchi had become rich after the war. He had even written a book, in which he related everything that had happened to him, his first meeting with Kei, his meeting with the vampires, then with Sebastian in Germany, the Katastrophe and the revelations of the god-aliens in the Room of Truth. He now owned his own media company. Thanks to him, the heroes were famous like stars. Now, everyone knew that Kyo was a boy. He wondered how Kenta and Ryoichi had reacted when learning it in the news. Everyone also knew that Tsuneo and Kyo were together, but it didn’t matter because they were heroes. The public opinion had become more open-minded concerning homosexuality.  
  
Kikuchi also had the privilege to film and broadcast live Masaru and Anzu’s wedding, the first wedding among the heroes. They were followed a few months later by Kaze and Mary. The couple was living with their son Takeshi in the countryside, and had created a famous dojo.  
  
The heroes were models for the future generations, and the children would learn their story in History books. The world would never forget the war against the alien.


End file.
